Dancing in the Rain
by Kyandi-Akatensei
Summary: "With the lightning and thunder, comes the rain and life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain." Like a flash of lightning in the stormy sky, Dimir brings a little electricity to Yokohama. Like lightning, she's hard to ignore. Especially for one Port Mafia executive. Rated M for a later chapter.
1. Flashy Greeting

_**Summary:**_ "With the lightning and thunder, comes the rain and life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain." Like a flash of lightning in the stormy sky, Dimir brings a little electricity to Yokohama. Like lightning, she's hard to ignore. Especially for one Port Mafia executive.

Author Note: Hello, everyone! For those of you who know me, good to see you again! For those of you who don't know me, just call me Kyandi-sama. I found the manga for this a while back and fell in love with the fact that the creator used actual author names and titles of their works for the characters and their abilities. I had to do a little research...okay, a lot, but I couldn't help it. I've enjoyed making Dimir, who, if you didn't guess, is named for Vladimir Nabokov, and I hope you all enjoy her too. Compliments are greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is thanked, but please, don't flame me. If you feel like you must flame me...walk away. Save us both a lot of time and just walk away, please and thank you! So, with that, please enjoy and review. I do not own Bungou Stray Dogs.

Chapter 1 Flashy Greeting

"Dazai! Now is **not** the time for this!"

Another day...another comically failed suicide attempt from Dazai.

Atsushi and Kunikida stood at the edge of the river, watching as Dazai floated by, face down in the water. The man had decided to throw himself from the bridge about a quarter of a mile down the river. After even so short of a time in the Agency, Atsushi had gotten to the point where this didn't bother him so much as it annoyed him.

In fact, it had become a normal part of the day.

Something that made the day incomplete if it didn't happen at least once.

Today the three were investigating a string of attacks that left the victims with mass amounts of electrical burns over a vast majority of their bodies. With the amount of burns and the degree of them, someone would have had to of spent hours electrocuting a person with a low voltage since the burns weren't that severe. But according to the victims, the attacks didn't last longer than a few minutes. This brought Atsushi, Kunikida, and Dazai to the back streets of the slumiest parts of the city where people had seen a figure fleeing the scene of each of the attacks.

The thing was, all the witnesses could give them, as far as description of the fleeing figure, was that the person was small, shorter than Atsushi, at least, and had black hair with a dash of white at the right temple. While a little strange, as far as hair coloring went, hair color could be changed, so the description wasn't much to go on.

Not that they were getting anywhere anyway, what with the antics of Dazai delaying them.

Heaving an annoyed sigh, Kunikida had Atsushi help him fish Dazai out of the water. Once they had him out and conscious, they went back to work, Kunikida forcing Dazai to continue in wet clothes as punishment for his continued stupidity.

"This is the alley where most of the attacks occurred."

Kunikida looked down at the report in his hands as he said this, Atsushi and Dazai joining him. The alley they stood in was gated at one end and had mountains of cardboard boxes stacked against the faded brick walls on either side. For an alley, it was on the cleaner side. There was no trash littered across the ground, the boxes were neatly stacked, and there was no grime on the walls. It was as if someone spent the time scrubbing the alley walls.

The three spread out, searching the alley. Atsushi searched the gated end of the alley, finding that the boxes had been stacked to form a little hiding hole of a house with a tarp thrown over it to provide protection from rain. Inside, old, but clean, clothes had been made into a bed.

It looked as if someone was living there, at least at night. Whoever it was, they weren't there now. Atsushi called Kunikida and Dazai over to see what they had found. Kunikida ducked into the little makeshift house, looking around.

"Whoever has been living here, hasn't left anything behind to identify them." Kunikida said.

"They're probably the suspect we're looking for." Dazai remarked.

"More than likely. This might just be a case of people intruding on what this person perceives as their territory." Kunikida agreed, easing his tall frame out of the small space.

Something caught Atsushi's attention then. The faint sound of yelling reached his ears. The first two were male, yelling loudly, and the third was female, yelling for someone to stay away.

"What is it?" Kunikida asked, seeing the look on Atsushi's face.

"I hear something. It's yelling, fighting." Atsushi replied.

Kunikida didn't waste time, just demanded that Atsushi lead the way. They left the alley, following the street for a block before rounding a corner into another alley. There, they found a group of five men, all heavily bandaged, facing off with a single person. The moment the three laid eyes on this person, they knew it was the suspect that witnesses had seen fleeing the sites of the other attacks.

Their so called suspect was a young girl who stood about four inches shorter than Atsushi, making her about five foot, two inches tall. She was rail slim in a half-starved kind of way with ample curves and what they were sure was fair skin. With all the dirt and bruises, it was a little difficult to tell. Long hair was tied off at the nape of her neck and was pitch black in color. All except for the hair that grew from the right side of her forehead, making her side-swept bangs, stark white. The bangs fell to partly hide one blue eye that shined with specks of gold.

She was pretty, in a sweet kind of way. High cheek bones, heart shaped face, small nose with an uplifted tip, wide eyes, and full lips. She had the kind of face that, even well on in her years, would still look youthful. At the moment, there was a bruise blooming over her left cheek bone, turning the skin there and around her eye, a molted mix of black and blue. On the other cheek was a cut, blood dripping down her cheek to her chin. It was obvious that the girl was probably homeless. She was barefoot, her feet dirty and cut, and the tank top and shorts she was wearing had seen better days, both torn and worn until the edges were fraying and holes had begun to form.

The men facing her, had her backed into a corner, the girl's eyes scanning them, and the area around her, intently. While she generally fit the loose description they had been given, at the moment, she didn't look like someone that could purposely land several men in the hospital.

Speaking of which...the men currently confronting her, were the five victims who had reported the attacks. And they didn't look happy.

"Go away!" the girl told them.

"Oh, no. You're going to pay for what you did." one of the men said. "I don't know how you did it, but you're going to pay."

The girl stiffened as two of the men stepped towards her. Her bare feet slid apart, her body shifting into a defensive posture. She was ready for a fight, ready to defend herself against these men. But as the two men drew up close, no more than three feet separating them, she didn't throw a punch or aim a kick. Instead, she raised her left hand. Putting her thumb and middle finger together, she snapped her fingers. As soon as the two fingers rubbed together, the friction causing the sound, there was a spark and then bolts of electricity were jumping from her fingers, zapping the men as they came in contact with them.

The two convulsed on the spot, their bodies stiffening, before they both collapsed limply to the ground, groans of pain leaving them. Neither tried to move again, remaining where they were on the ground. From where they stood at the end of the alley, Atsushi, Kunikida, and Dazai had quickly figured out what had happened. The girl was indeed the one who had dealt the electrical burns. Much like them, she was an ability user, hers just being electricity based.

Given the brute-ish nature of the men, Dazai was willing to bet that the men were the initial attackers, not the girl, and that she had only attacked back in self-defense. Embarrassed to admit that a little girl had gotten the best of five grown men, they had decided to report the whole thing as a random attack from behind. Whether or not that was true, they needed to put a stop to the fight at hand.

Before the girl dealt more damage to the men's brains than they really could afford.

Stepping in, they quelled the fight, Kunikida and Dazai managing to subdue the three remaining men while Atsushi detained the girl. Oddly enough, she didn't see the need to put up any kind of protest. She merely sat down on a curb, Atsushi standing over her, while Dazai and Kunikida managed to get the truth from the five men.

With a little arm twisting from the two.

Dazai turned out to be right. The men had stumbled into the alley where the little box house was, drunk, and had found the girl trying to get some sleep in her makeshift house. Deciding to kill some time, they had started to mess with the girl, who gave them ample warning to leave her be before she had zapped them all with her ability.

In retaliation, they had gone back to confront her again, and had, once again, been zapped into unconsciousness. The same stood true for the third confrontation. Embarrassed about the truth behind their injuries, and unable to explain how they had come across them, they had then told doctors at the hospital they had visited, that someone had attacked them from behind.

It was pretty sad that a girl, who looked like she couldn't be more than eighteen, had taken down five grown men with only a snap of her fingers.

Kunikida and Dazai called in the police to cart off the men before turning to the girl. She was still sitting on the curb, her arms wrapped around her thighs, her hands linked under them. Up close, they could see every bruise that colored her skin. Even her feet and hands had bruising. She looked up at the two men with wide eyes of gold speckled, sapphire blue. Kunikida crouched in front of her.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Dimir."

Kunikida blinked in surprise. That didn't sound like any name he had every heard before.

"Come again?" he asked, just in case he had misheard her.

"Dimir. Nabokov Dimir. I was named for my father, Vladimir. May I know your name, too, please?" she asked, pleasantly polite for someone who lived on the streets.

Not something he was expecting, but pleasantly acceptable none the less.

"Kunikida Doppo. These are my co-workers, Dazai Osamu and Nakajima Atsushi. Tell us, what exactly happened with those men."

"Not much. Well, nothing out of the normal for me, at least. It was pretty much over before it began. They woke me up one night, drunk, throwing bottles at one of the walls near where I made my hideout. When I stuck my head out to see what was going on, they started throwing the bottles at me. A couple of them made contact. Hurt really badly too." she remarked, twisting her arms to look at a few of the bruises on her person. "I warned them that they should go home and sleep off the hangovers they were sure to have, but they just laughed at me and threw more stuff at me once they ran out of bottles. One of them drew a knife, suggesting that they should "play" with me. I didn't even want to know what he had in mind, so I...zapped them. They came back a couple of times after that to try to get even, but I defended myself then too."

The girl, Dimir as she had introduced herself, waved one finger in the air, tiny bolts of electricity dancing off her finger.

"So you're an ability user." Atsushi remarked.

"My ability is called Lolita. With it, I build up electricity from electronics around me or simply from static electricity or thunderstorms and then discharge it. I can use it in vastly different ways. Zapping people is pretty basic." Dimir replied.

It was an interesting ability and not one that either Kunikida or Atsushi wanted directed at them. No one wanted to be electrocuted by a little girl.

Except maybe Dazai.

"And you live in that little, cardboard house?" Atsushi asked.

"It's better than sleeping on a park bench, that's for sure." Dimir replied. "At least I don't get wet when it rains."

"What about your family?" Kunikida asked.

"What family? The only family I ever had was my grandmother and my mother. Both of them have died. I never knew my father, but according to what my mother told me, he was a foreigner that died in a boating accident when I was very small." Dimir replied.

So she was an orphan, just like Atsushi.

Kunikida looked up at Dazai, opening his mouth to say something, when he saw the look on Dazai's face. It was the same look he had had on his face before he had drug Atsushi back to the Agency. He didn't need to ask to know what the bandaged man was thinking.

"Don't even think about it." Kunikida told him.

Dazai's grin only grew in reply to the comment. Dimir looked between the two, confused as to what was going on. Ignoring Kunikida, Dazai turned to Dimir, who blinked back at him in confusion.

"How would you like to meet the Director?"

-0-0-0-0-

"What is this?"

Fukuzawa Yukichi, known simply as Director to his subordinates, stood before the couch in the Agency's office, looking down at the wide eyed, dirty and bruised, face of a young girl who stared back at him in wide eyed fascination. Despite the dirt and her torn and worn clothes, she sat properly, her legs together and tucked slightly to the left, her hands folded in her lap. Kunikida and Atsushi stood behind the couch, both looking put out and slightly annoyed with the whole situation.

Dazai was laying on the other couch while everyone else currently in the office, was staring at the girl.

"Our latest job turned out to be a waste of time. The so called victims turned out to be the one's attacking this girl and she was merely defending herself." Kunikida said, answering Fukuzawa.

"And she's here, why?" Fukuzawa asked.

"She's a homeless orphan and an ability user." Atsushi added.

"And **he** insisted we bring her here to meet you." Kunikida added, spitting out the word "he" with as much venom as possible, one thumb jabbing in Dazai's direction.

Kunikida and Fukuzawa both turned sharp looking glares on Dazai. Dimir looked between the three, feeling uneasy about this whole thing. She didn't want to be the cause behind someone getting in trouble with their boss.

"Umm, excuse me." Fukuzawa and Kunikida looked back down at Dimir. "If this is a problem, I can just leave. I probably shouldn't be gone for long."

"Gone for long? You basically live in a cardboard box." Kunikida replied.

"Well, technically that's true, but I do have a few odd jobs lined up for today. A girl's got to eat, you know." Dimir replied sheepishly, her smile matching and a sheepish laugh leaving her when her stomach growled loud enough for them to hear.

Fukuzawa stopped, taking a minute to truly look the girl over. Now that he stopped to really look at her, it was easy to tell that she was homeless and improperly fed. Yet, she had a genuine smile on her face, as if, despite her circumstances, life still had a brightly polished, silver lining. She was prepared to walk away and back to the sorry excuse of a life that fate had given her.

"What is your name?" Fukuzawa demanded.

"Dimir, sir. Nabokov Dimir."

"And how old are you?"

"I'll be eighteen in two months, sir."

She was just shy of being the same age as Atsushi. By law, she should be in some kind of state custody if she had no living relatives. Had she run away from officials then? Curious, Fukuzawa angled himself into a chair across from her.

"Tell me why you live on the streets." he ordered.

"I have no family, no home, and I didn't see the point of taking up space in a foster home or orphanage, that some truly needy child could use. I take care of myself fairly well, all things considered. I work odd jobs to pay for food, I stay out of trouble...for the most part. Most days, no one even notices I'm there. I don't want to be a burden on others." Dimir told him.

"What kind of jobs?"

He was not going to happy if she was doing something stupid like drug transportation or was selling her body. No young girl should do either of those things. As if sensing his thoughts, Dimir gave him a brilliant smile.

"Nothing bad, sir, I promise. Mostly delivery jobs for restaurants or city offices. I work for cheaper pay then an actual delivery service and I'm just as fast, if not faster. Static electricity can give someone like me a much need extra bounce to their step. Sometimes it's cleaning jobs or sewing jobs. I'm good at repairing damaged clothes." Dimir told him.

"Do you always find jobs?" Fukuzawa asked.

"Well..."

The look on Dimir's face as she idly scratched one cheek, suggested that she wanted to say yes. She didn't want to come off as a needy person who was worse off than she really wanted to let on. She didn't need, or want, another's pity. That much was clear, but Fukuzawa didn't have time to deal with the girl's pride over her independence. His eyes narrowed as he gazed upon her.

"Don't lie to me. Just answer the question." he told her sternly.

"Yes, sir." Dimir's back straightened under his firm stare. "No, no I don't. I'm lucky to find work two or three days every two weeks."

"What do you do for food when you don't have work?"

"I don't. I can make the money from one job last a few days: two or maybe three at best. The other days...well, I'm not so pathetic that I go begging. I make do." Dimir replied.

Fukuzawa's eyes scanned her once more. From the skinniness of the girl, from the sharp way her body caved inwards at her stomach, her ribs junting out, and from the way her cheeks were starting to hallow out, she wasn't making do.

She was starving.

As if to prove the point, a hallow, low growl rang out, her stomach protesting the topic of food. Sheepishly, a smile on her face, Dimir apologized, one hand rubbing her stomach. She was slowly starving to death, yet she smiled as if she **knew** the day would get better.

"Are you stupid?! You shouldn't be grinning right now! Or do you not realize that you're starving to death." Kunikida asked.

"I believe stupidity is subjective. After all, everyone has a different opinion on what level of brain function decides intelligence. Some people don't believe you intelligent unless you can crack equations that even has NASA stumped. Others believe you intelligent as long as you have common sense. Personally, I've known some truly brilliant people who didn't have the common sense God gave them, as well as vice versa." Dimir replied.

Kunikida opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. She had a point and he really couldn't argue it. After all, Ranpo was brilliantly gifted, but was stupid enough to believe the lie that he had an ability, not to mention, get lost going to and from the office.

And Kunikida didn't need to get started on Dazai's stupidity.

"Besides," Dimir smiled lightly. "if you can't find a reason to smile in the face of adversity, then how can you see the good in life? Life is already needlessly difficult, riddled with shadows and evil, meaningless death, abuse, and brutality...there's no need to add onto it. I choose to smile rather than dwell in the bad cards I've been dealt, because you can always exchange one bad card for another. Even when life seems to be nothing but dark clouds of rolling thunder and crackling lightning, I will look for the silver lining and smile brightly, knowing the storm will eventually pass. If that makes me stupid, well, then I guess I'm an idiot. After all...with the lightning and thunder, comes the rain and life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain."

Fukuzawa was pleasantly surprised. So young and this girl had already learned something that most people didn't learn until the end of their lives, if ever. She saw how needlessly dark and cruel life could be and choose to look for the light at the end of the tunnel without being blinded to the shadows that riddled the path with danger.

He didn't want to think about what she had seen in life to gift her with such knowledge.

"That's a good outlook." he told her.

"Life would be increasingly depressing if I didn't have such an outlook." Dimir replied.

Fukuzawa nodded, agreeing silently with her. Redirecting the conversation back to his line of questioning, Fukuzawa got to the topic that was forefront in his mind.

"Tell me about your ability." he said.

"Ah, about that...the truth is...I have two."

END

Author Note: Before anyone says anything about me making my character over powered, I am aware that two abilities is a little much, but with the new power, Dimir's control over it is less. Not only does is it less, it even becomes dangerous to her. I have taken into account what weaknesses she would need to have two abilities. So please, stick around and continue reading. Next chapter starts my usual character interactions. So, please enjoy and review and I shall be right back. Bye-bye!


	2. Lightning Fast Exam

Kyandi: And thus, I have returned. Normally, I start off all of my chapters with character interactions, so with that, I'll introduce my OC, Dimir. Dimir?

Dimir: Hello, all!

Kyandi: Dimir is one of my sweeter OCs.

Dimir: What she means is that I'm one of the few that won't needlessly tease her to no end.

Kyandi: Exactly! Now, as much as I love dragging these things out, I feel like I should let all of you get on to reading how Dimir came about having more than one ability.

Dimir: You're not giving them the whole story, are you?

Kyandi: Right out of the gate? Not a chance. They'll have to keep reading for that.

Dimir: Good.

Kyandi: Right, then everyone enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.

Chapter 2 Lightning Fast Exam

Dimir shifted in her seat, nervously gripping her hands together as she watched Fukuzawa's expression. She didn't even try to look at the others. She knew exactly what they were thinking. She could see it reflected on Fukuzawa's face. They all thought she was crazy. It took a moment for him to process the information and then Fukuzawa's brows furrowed.

"Come again?" he asked.

"I have two abilities." Dimir repeated.

"Explain." Fukuzawa barked before anyone else could speak up.

"Did you know that an ability can be passed to another person? As long as the person is directly, blood related. Like a parent to a child." Dimir said.

"Yes. I've heard of such cases, though they are rare." Fukuzawa replied.

"Did you know that if a person, say a mother, passes her ability to her daughter and her daughter already has an ability, she keeps her own while gaining the second?" Fukuzawa shook his head when Dimir asked this. "It's true. Though, if a mother who has her own ability as well as a gained ability from her mother, tries to pass her ability on to her daughter, she passes only her original ability and not her gained ability. In my family, it is a practice among the women to pass our ability to our daughter, whether or not she has one of her own. When she died, my grandmother passed her ability on to my mother who already had her own ability, The World Like The Wind. When my mother died when I was young, she passed tried to pass both to me, but I only got The World Like The Wind. I already have my own ability, Lolita."

Two abilities...it was a little difficult not to believe her. They had proof that it was possible to pass an ability to someone else. But, with such transfers, the person receiving the ability, usually didn't have very good control over it. To have a passed-on ability, plus her own, had to be difficult to control. This only made everyone more curious. Fukuzawa leaned forward.

"Can you show me?" he asked.

A pained look fell on Dimir's face and she begin to fiddle with her fingers, cracking each, individual knuckle, one at a time. She didn't seem too thrilled with the thought of using her abilities like this.

"Don't get me wrong, sir, I would show you, but...I don't exactly have the best control on the ability that came from my mother. It isn't mine to begin with so it gets easily out of hand. I don't want to hurt anyone. Normally, I won't even consider using it if I didn't have to." Dimir told him.

"You should be fine. The Director's ability allows him to give you some control over your abilities if you don't have it." Atsushi told her.

Dimir's eyes, widening at the reveal, turned to Atsushi before fixing hopefully on Fukuzawa. Fukuzawa gave Atsushi a look before turning back to look at Dimir.

"It only works with those who work under me." he told her.

"Oh..." Dimir heaved a silent sigh. "Just as well, I suppose. I can show you The World Like The Wind, as long as you don't want anything large scale."

Fukuzawa gave her a gesture to continue. Dimir nodded before looking around her. Her eyes locked in on a lamp plugged into an outlet in the wall. She shifted on her seat until she was facing it. Focusing her attention on the lamp, she held out a hand, fingers out stretched and palm facing down. At first, there was nothing, then the light flickered before it begun to rapidly pick up, almost like it was a strobe light found in a club. Then the light bulb shattered and sparks of electricity shot away from the lamp, jumping for Dimir's outstretched hand as she turned the hand over until the palm faced the ceiling.

Several of those watching, tensed, wincing involuntarily as the electricity touched Dimir's fingers, the bolts licking over her skin, but never leaving a single mark. Dimir didn't even seem to notice the bolts dancing about her hand as she held it up in front of her. Raising her other hand, she pinched her thumb and forefinger together and actually plucked a bolt away from the others, spreading her fingers to let the electricity play between them.

Turning over the hand holding the rest of the electricity, she put the bolt back and clasped her hands around the bolts. When she opened her hands once more, the electricity was gone, probably stored internally.

"Lolita allows me to gather electricity, even static electricity and store it in my body. I can then discharge it in various ways. The ultimate form of this ability is massively destructive. I've only used it once and I will never use it again unless a certain condition is met." Dimir explained.

Fukuzawa didn't even want to know what the condition was. Not with others listening. If he decided to let her join the Agency, than he would ask, but not right now. His eyes focused on Dimir once more as she turned to look at Kunikida.

"Is there a breeze outside?" she asked.

Turning to glance out the window, Kunikida nodded. Dimir requested he open the windows...all of them. Kunikida, though confused as to why, did as asked. As all the windows were opened, a breeze strong enough to send papers fluttering about the room, swept through the room. As a gust of the wind blew across Dimir, she twirled a finger in the air. As she twirled it, the wind blowing through the room seemed to change direction, all gusts twirling towards Dimir as if being sucked into a vortex. A mini cyclone begin to form around her finger until she was able to flatten her palm and have the cyclone spin right in the center of her palm.

"The World Like the Wind grants me the ability to use the wind around me as I see fit. Of course, there has to be, at least, a breeze present. I can't generate my own breeze where my mother could. If I can build up enough wind, I can even use it to carry me safely to ground if I was to jump off a building." Dimir said.

"Why would you jump off a building?!" Kunikida asked.

"I've had to do it before. I was cornered on a roof. Down was my only option. Of course, if I try to use the ability while not calm..." To show what she was trying to express, Dimir's fingers twitched and the cyclone exploded, sending papers, pencils, and other little, random things that it had picked up, flying outward. "I can't maintain it. Which can be horribly dangerous if I tried using the ability on a large enough scale. My mother could actually make F3 category tornadoes with the ability. I cannot. I wouldn't even dare to try to achieve a category F1. It would rip me apart as well."

They could all see why Dimir didn't try it. The risk of harming herself mixed with the fact that she didn't really have any control of the ability, made it a dangerous thing. It was a surprise, given the fact that she had two equally powerful abilities, that the Port Mafia hadn't snatched her up yet. If they did...Fukuzawa frowned at the thought of having those abilities turned against his people. Not to mention that the Port Mafia would be a toxic environment for someone like Dimir who chose to see the brightness in life. Living in the shadows would kill the shining light of her life.

If them forcing her to use both of her abilities didn't kill her first.

With that thought, Fukuzawa's mind was made up. But, of course, there was an order to things that had to be honored. Turning in his seat, Fukuzawa called one of the clerks to him. Dimir looked up at the woman. She was young, possibly in her early or mid twenties, if Dimir had to take a guess, with semi-curly hair and glasses. She gave Dimir a smile as Fukuzawa introduced her as Haruno Kirako.

"Get her cleaned up and into some decent clothes. I want her to stay with you for tonight. We'll decide what to do tomorrow." Fukuzawa ordered.

"Of course, Director!" Haruno replied before turning to Dimir.

The expression on Dimir's face was that of astoundment, her pretty eyes wide in surprise. She obviously hadn't expected him to order that. Her head even tilted to one side, her yellow speckled, blue eyes set on his face.

"You're...helping me?" she asked.

"Is there a problem with that?" he asked gruffly.

"On a moral level, no."

"If you going to start in with your pride-"

"That's not what I meant in the least." Dimir said, waving one hand in front of her as she cut Kunikida off. "I merely meant that, while it's a moral just thing to do, helping another in need, it's not the typical choice most make these days. It's pleasantly surprising. That being said, I can't, under good conscious, just accept help. I'm not a charity case. I'll accept, but only if there's some kind of work I can do in turn."

It was now Fukuzawa's turn to be astounded. Judging from her expression, Dimir meant every word. She wasn't the type of person that could just take a hand out. She had to earn her keep as long as she was bodily able. And she wouldn't be budged on that subject, either. The look of determination on her face said that, loud and clear.

"We can worry about that tomorrow. For now, you look like your half dead." Fukuzawa told her.

"Yes, I imagine I'm quite a colorful sight." Dimir agreed, grinning as she scratched one cheek.

Without any further arguments, Haruno was able to usher the girl out of the office, grabbing her purse and jacket along the way. Once they were gone, Kunikida, Dazai, and Atsushi turned to Fukuzawa, who was still watching the door.

"Well?" Dazai asked.

"If we don't take the chance to recruit her than it's only a matter of time before the Port Mafia sinks its claws into her. Since you three found her, you're in charge of her entrance exam." Fukuzawa ordered as he stood to his feet.

"Yes, sir." Kunikida replied, despite not being exactly joyed by the orders.

Things were only going to get more chaotic around the office.

-0-0-0-0-

"Are you alright in there?"

Dimir looked up from where she stood in front of the bathroom mirror as Haruno's voice sounded through the door. Dimir had just gotten out of the shower, dressing in the clothes that Haruno had lent her. Standing in front of the mirror, confronted with her reflection for the first time in, at least, a few months, Dimir found a rare frown falling on her face.

Her face was battered, a bruise ringing her left eye and spreading to her cheek bone. A cut sliced across the other cheek, small scrapes decorating the skin of her face, here and there. Her body wasn't any better. Her hair was in a bad need of a cut and, while clean, hung in a sort of frizzy mess about her, hitting at a little above knee level. Dimir's eyes then turned to the clothes Haruno had given to her. While the dress fit around her waist, it was too tight around her chest and hips. Not to mention it was longer on her since Haruno was taller than Dimir.

It was still better than the clothes she had been wearing.

Turning to the door, Dimir stuck her head out of the bathroom. Haruno looked up at her from where she was sitting food out on her table. Dimir gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, but it's a little too tight around the hips and chest." Dimir admitted.

"Oh, there's nothing for you to be sorry about. Here, let me take a look." Haruno said, waving her out.

Dimir stepped out of the bathroom, letting the older woman look her over. Haruno hummed to herself as she circled Dimir, pulling at parts of the dress.

"I see what you mean. Your chest looks like it's about to pop out of it." Haruno said, jokingly. "Well, after we eat, we'll put a jacket on you and take you to get clothes that fit."

"You don't have to do that!" Dimir said, instantly protesting.

"Don't worry about it. Help me clean up after meals and to finish some of the paper work I have, and we'll call it even." Haruno told her, giving her a sweet smile.

Dimir couldn't help returning the smile. As long as she worked for it, then she was fine. With that decided, Haruno waved her over to the table, telling Dimir to eat as much as she liked. Dimir didn't want to pig out, but she had never had a small appetite. Honestly, she couldn't understand how some girls could eat like birds. It was beyond her. Then again several had questioned how she could eat so much and not gain a pound over the years.

Dimir was sure it had something to do with the fact that she had three abilities.

More power used, more fuel needed to fuel the fire.

So while, yes, she did end up putting away more than Haruno did, Dimir at least managed to eat slowly. It would have been such a waste to just to throw up what she ate because she couldn't get the food into her empty stomach fast enough. Haruno smiled as she watched her, supplying them both with idle chatter as they ate.

Mostly, she asked Dimir about what she liked to do, what she didn't like, if she had friends, and things like that. Dimir looked up from her food, carefully chewing the bite in her mouth and swallowing before she answered.

"I don't particularly dislike anything. I do dislike being mean to others. I suppose it's not in my nature because I've never been able to manage it. I don't like the dark or guns either. Aside from that, I'm pretty unbiased. I do like to sing and sew, though. And I like to read." Dimir replied.

"Oh? I bet you were a book worm in school." Haruno said with a little laugh.

"I was home schooled up until my mother died, but you're pretty right. I love books and have a photographic memory. I can remember everything I read and recite it near perfectly." Dimir replied.

"That must come in handy." Haruno remarked.

Haruno propped her elbows on the table top, linking her hands to drop her chin onto them. She watched Dimir continue to eat with a smile on her face. It kind of made Dimir feel like she was being watched by a big sister or something. It was a nice feeling.

"Most of those who hire me for odd jobs, are repeat customers, so to speak. They like the fact that all they have to do is write down what they want done and give it to me. They don't have to repeat orders and I'm not bugging them because I forgot." Dimir replied.

"Is there anything else you like?"

Dimir stopped for a moment to think. Her head tilted to the side as she thought, her chopsticks clicking together.

"Racing. I like to race cars."

Now that was something Haruno was not expecting to hear. It took her a moment to process what Dimir had said.

"Eh...racing cars?" she asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Umm...why is that?" Haruno asked.

"A few years back, I worked as a carrier for this really sweet, older gentleman back in my home town and he thought it would be easier on me if I had my license and could drive, so he paid for it. I was always really good with cars. If it's the right model, specially customized to handle it, I can apply my Lolita to the car, give it a little more juice to speed it up without having to pay the high prices for things like nitrogen fuel or the parts for handling such a thing."

"But, wouldn't it be difficult to control the car?" Haruno asked.

"Not really. I have practice with it and Lolita is my original ability. I can move fast due to the ability, as it is. It's just applying those faster reflexes to a speeding car. I've had to train my hand-eye coordination. Thankfully, I wasn't one of those born with none at all."

Haruno wasn't sure how to feel about this, though Dimir could tell she was concerned about it. Dimir thought it was funny, seeing the look on Haruno's face. Her next sentence had Dimir breaking out in a fit of giggles.

"You didn't boost cars, did you!?"

"Gods, no! I liked to race them, but I never stole them. I did win a few pink slips, but I've never stolen anything in my life." Dimir promised.

"You won cars?" Haruno asked, surprised.

"Uh-huh. Two." Dimir replied.

"What did you do with them?"

"Sold one. It fed me for a few months and got me all the way here to Yokohama."

"Where are you originally from?"

"Machida. I lived there before my mother died. I thought a change in pace would be good for me. Being able to see the ocean sounded nice, so I came to Yokohama."

Though there was more to the reason of her location change than that, it was basically the truth. Dimir had always wanted to see the ocean and with nothing to tie her to Machida, she had decided to sell one of the cars, cut her sentimental ties, and came to Yokohama. While she would have been more financially stable in Machida, Dimir liked Yokohama and she had never been one to hold on to regrets, so she was happy where she was.

Dirt poor, but happy.

"What about the other car?" Haruno asked.

"How do you think I got to Yokohama?" Dimir replied. "I didn't sell it though. It's stored away for now. Never know when I might really have need of a car. Not to mention that it's the only thing I got to my name."

"How can you afford to store it?"

"I know a guy who owns storage units. I work filing papers in his office once a week and he stores my car for free."

By this point, Dimir had finished her food. She laid her chopsticks down, and bowed her head in thanks to Haruno for the food. Haruno smiled at her. Before she could move to gather the dishes, Dimir was on her feet, feeling better and stronger than she had in a long while now that her stomach was full. Carefully stacking the dishes, Dimir carted them back to the kitchen for Haruno.

"I'll clean the dishes. I did promise, after all." Dimir told the other woman, smiling brightly at her.

Haruno stood back and watched Dimir get to scrubbing the dishes, humming a tune to herself. A thought crossed Haruno's mind as she was watching Dimir.

"Nabokov-chan-"

"Please call me Dimir." Dimir cut in.

"Dimir-chan, then. You're name...it's not Japanese."

"That's right."

"But you are?"

"Only half." Dimir told her, rinsing a bowl and setting it in the drain to dry. "Mother was Japanese. My father was an Russian-American she had met when he was on vacation. Mother named me after him, and she tried to locate him to tell him about me, but he died in a boating accident before she could. I believe I was only two at the time."

"I'm sorry."

Dimir turned and looked at Haruno, blinking in confusion as she asked, "About what?".

"Your family..."

Dimir gave Haruno a smile so bright, she trailed off in what she was saying.

"Nothing to be sorry for. While I wish I had gotten to know my father and I do miss my mother and grandmother, I know they wouldn't want me to dwell in sorrow forever. Life goes on, even after others die. All you can do is remember them, honor that memory, and live a happy life like they would have wanted you to. That way, when they look down upon you from heaven, they can smile in happiness." Dimir told her.

"You have a incredibly bright out look." Haruno said, amazed.

"I suppose. Now," Dimir sat aside the last of the dishes and turned face Haruno. "dishes are done."

"Then let's go get some clothes for you." Haruno said as Dimir joined her. Haruno reached out, touching Dimir's hair. "A hair cut couldn't hurt either."

Dimir grinned, silently agreeing with the woman. It was starting to look like things were turning around for her. Never one to miss out on the opportunities that life offered her, Dimir was going to plunge into this new path in her life, head first. Come whatever rocky path might, or might not, lay before her, Dimir would greet it with a bright smile.

After all, life was about facing the challenges and prevailing, right?

-0-0-0-0-

"Hey, Haruno."

The night found Haruno, after returning from clothes shopping, standing in her kitchen. She was just setting out things for dinner when she heard Dimir calling her name from the living room. Setting down the bowls in her hands, Haruno went to the door way peering out into the living room. She found Dimir, on her hands and knees, staring at something on the other side of the table intently. In her new powder blue sundress, it looked a little funny. Especially since, at the moment, she was eye level with the floor, her butt up in the air.

"What is it?" Haruno asked, trying hard not to giggle at the sight.

"This cat..."

Dimir shifted, finally letting Haruno see that Dimir had been staring at Haruno's cat. The cat was just sitting there, staring back at Dimir.

"Oh! That's Mii-chan. Is something wrong?" Haruno asked.

Dimir continued to stare back at the cat for a moment before giving her head a shake. Sitting back on her heels, she turned a smile on Haruno.

"No, nothing. I just wanted to know it's name." Dimir replied.

"Good. I was afraid, for a moment, that you disliked cats." Haruno said, returning to the kitchen.

"No. I'm perfectly alright with **cats**."

The way Dimir said that, had Haruno a little confused, but she simply let it go. The rest of the night, though, Dimir kept glancing at the cat in a curious fashion, as if something about the cat didn't quite fit together to her. She never said anything though. After a while, Haruno stopped noticing the looks Dimir would cast the feline's way, though Dimir would stare intently at the cat whenever Haruno turned her back.

After dinner, Dimir helped her to clean before turning in for the night. When Haruno checked on her, Dimir was fast asleep in her futon, Mii-chan curled up by her head. It was such an adorable sight to Haruno, that she chuckled and even took a picture with her phone. She then left Dimir to sleep.

After all, tomorrow would be a very long day.

-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, Dazai and Atsushi showed up at Haruno's apartment to pick up Dimir. When the girl stepped out of the apartment, it was a completely different impression than when they had first met her. Haruno had gone above and beyond towards restoring the girl. While the bruising was still present, she had a healthy glow about her, looking much better after having a couple of meals under her belt. Her hair had been cut, and thinned, leaving her hair to fall to her hips in a silky, black line. She was clean and sporting new clothes.

In place of the rags she had been wearing, she now wore a mid-thigh length, sleeveless, turtle neck dress that was as dark blue as the night sky with accenting star designs of electric yellow on the hem, and a cinch just under her breasts. With it, she had paired thigh-high, yellow stockings, knee high black boots, a sleeveless, brown coat that fell just past her knees, and dark blue gloves that matched her dress. The hair on the left side of her scalp had been brushed back sharply and pinned into place.

"She looks good, right?" Haruno asked, appearing behind Dimir, having Dimir give them a twirl.

"Stunning." Dazai compliment.

"Yeah, you look great." Atsushi agreed.

Dimir beamed, running her hands down the front of the dress to flatten it out. She hadn't had new clothes in about six or seven years. It felt nice to walk around in clothes that actually fit and that weren't falling apart at the seams...literally!

"Thanks. So, um...what are we doing?" Dimir asked.

"We were told to bring you to the office, so we'll find out there." Dazai told her.

"Alright." Dimir agreed, smiling back at them.

She waved to Haruno, who promised to see her at the office later, and left with the two. Along the way, Dazai had them stop at a cafe that he said served great coffee. While he treated Dimir, he made Atsushi pay for himself. While they waited for their drinks and snacks to be brought to them, the three claimed a seat at a table outside.

Dimir happily hummed to herself as she watched others walk by. It was as if the girl had never been able to sit back and watch others walk by. And when their order arrived, Dimir's eyes widened at the sight of the chocolate and whipped cream topped drink sat before her. Before Atsushi and Dazai could so much as take a single drink from their own drinks, Dimir had already drained half of her own, licking whipped cream and chocolate off her lips.

"Yummy!" she exclaimed happily, swiping up a dab of whipped cream to stick into her mouth.

"Really? It's just an ice coffee." Atsushi remarked.

"Maybe, but I haven't had chocolate in nearly seven years. To me, this is the tastiest thing in the world!" Dimir replied, smiling brightly.

Atsushi and Dazai, a smile on the latter's face, watched as Dimir completely drained her cup and scooped out all traces of chocolate and whipped cream that she could. Dazai chuckled as Dimir let out a sigh of content.

Just then, Dazai's phone rang.

Dazai fished the device out of his pocket and answered it. Atsushi and Dimir watched as his expression went serious. He told the person on the other end that they would be there shortly before he hung up and rose to his feet.

"Let's go. The office is under attack." Dazai told them.

"Again!?" Atsushi yelped.

"Again? It's been attacked before?" Dimir asked, getting to her feet.

"It gets attacked all the time." Atsushi whined.

"Sounds like an interesting life."

Atsushi stared at Dimir, mouth hanging open, as she followed Dazai with just that little comment. He was starting to get a feeling that she was going to be just as weird as the other members of the Agency. Something he could live without.

The three hurried along, rushing to get to the office. When they arrived, they found the Director, Yosano, Kenji, Kunikida, Naomi, and Ranpo standing outside on the side of the street. Everyone was staring up at the open window of the office, grim looks on their faces.

"What's going on?"

Everyone turned towards Dazai and his two companions as they joined the group.

"Some idiot has rigged the whole building with an explosive and has taken a hostage. Unless we meet their demands within thirty minutes, they are going to blow up the building with the hostage inside." Kunikida said, clearly annoyed.

"That's terrible!" Dimir gasped.

"It's happened before." Atsushi replied, hanging his head as he remembered.

"This is different. This puts the whole street at risk." Yosano said, her hands anchored on her hips.

Dimir glanced up at the open window to the office. Bombs were tricky. Disarming one could be dangerous. Really dangerous. Someone could go in to disarm it and still blow up the whole building because of counter measure the bomber set up.

Then there was the hostage.

"Who did they take hostage?" Dazai asked.

"Haruno."

Dimir, upon hearing the name leave Fukuzawa's mouth, froze on the spot.

Not Haruno. Haruno had been kind to Dimir, had taken her in and had treated her like a little sister. Dimir was not going to let this slide.

"Director."

Fukuzawa looked down at Dimir as she continued to stare up at the building. Her eyes were sharp, focused completely on the building before her as they scanned it from head to toe.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Do you know if the explosive is chemical based or electronically based?" Dimir asked.

"Electronic, I believe. That's what it looked like before we were forced out of the office." Kunikida answered. "Why?"

A smile spread across Dimir's face. She turned her eyes to Fukuzawa then, giving him a confident smile. He didn't know what she was planning in that head of hers, but he knew she had some kind of plan. That was clear in her eyes.

"Leave this to me then. I can disarm the bomb and take out the attacker in one zap. I do owe you, after all." Dimir told him.

"Are you kidding!? Don't be stupid! Forget that you aren't a member of the Agency, how do you expect to get to the hostage? If we step foot in the building, he'll blow it up!" Kunikida snapped at her.

"I don't plan to go in through the door."

Everyone turned dumbfounded looks on Dimir as she simply smiled back at them.

"What are you talking about?" Atsushi asked.

"Don't worry about it. And besides...I don't need to be apart of the Agency to help someone in need." Dimir said brightly.

Without another word, Dimir started towards the building. She stopped when she was right under the open window. Bending her knees, she gave a little hop. The moment her toes touched the ground, there was a sparking flash and then Dimir was rocketing into the air. She landed lightly on the window sill of the open window, as if she had done such a thing a hundred times.

They heard a loud "Hey!" from the attacker inside as Dimir dived in through the open window. There was a crackling flash that lit up all the windows, followed by a yelp of pain. Silence fell as those below waited to see what happened. A shadow moved across the window before...Dimir popped her head out of the window, a bright smile curling her lips.

"All clear!" she called with a waved.

Shocked and curious as to what she had done, they all rushed into the building, hurrying up the stairs to the office. What they found when they flew into the office was a fried explosive, Haruno scolding Dimir about being reckless while hugging the girl, and a twitching, electrically burned Junichirou laying on the floor.

"What were you thinking?" Haruno asked Dimir as they came into the office.

"What? No one got hurt and everything was settled." Dimir told her.

"You do realize that you could have gotten yourself killed, right!?" Kunikida yelled at her as he charged over to her.

"No I couldn't have. After all...he's a member of the Armed Detective Agency."

All eyes turned to Dimir as she smiled back at them. Atsushi helped Junichirou to his feet, the older Tanizaki sibling looking over at Dimir as Naomi clung to his other arm.

"You knew?" he asked.

"Once I saw you, yeah."

Every single one of them had the same thought at the same time...what the hell!?

Seeing their looks, Dimir started laughing. All of them were staring at her, some with their mouths hanging open. She decided to take pity on them and explain how she knew.

"As much as I appreciate all you've already done for me, I wasn't going to associate myself with people I knew nothing about. Never know what kind of people you could get yourself tangled up with, yeah? So...I researched all of you using Haruno's computer yesterday. You'd be surprised by the amount of pictures of each member of the Agency that one can find online." Dimir told them, giggling a little as she smiled. "Come on now, what kind of idiot do you take me for?"

"If you knew I was a member of the Agency and that it was all fake, then why did you zap me!?" Junichirou asked.

"Well, how was I suppose to know it was fake? For all I knew, you could have turned against the Agency. But, in this case, I was about ninety-five percent sure that it was fake, in which case, you were trying so hard to make it believable. Why would I ruin that by not playing along?" Dimir replied.

"Wait, let me get this straight...you knew that the whole thing was fake and that the "attacker" was apart of the Agency?" Kunikida asked.

"Only after I saw his face. Up until I landed on the window sill, I was completely buying the whole thing. After that though...it wasn't hard to connect the dots." Dimir replied.

"But even when you didn't know, you still jumped in without a moment's hesitation." Dazai remarked.

"But of course I did. Charade or not, a friend of mine was supposedly in danger. I'll always put the lives of my friends and loved ones over my own. Of course, I'm not going to throw my life away for nothing, but assuring that a loved one is safe and sound, isn't nothing, right?" Dimir replied.

Fukuzawa stared at Dimir. The girl was pleasantly loyal. She obviously wasn't a person that stood back while her friends were in danger, but she was also a clever person, having thought ahead to researching them. She acted as if she was doing so recklessly, but she actually put thought into her actions. He stood back and watched as Dimir, with a kind smile on her face, bowed in apology to Junichirou. Dazai stepped up to his side, glancing towards Dimir as well.

"Well, what do you think, Director?" Dazai asked.

Fukuzawa watched Dimir for a moment longer before he started towards her. Dimir fell silent, turning her eyes towards him as he came to a stop in front of her.

"Nabokov Dimir." he called.

"Yes, sir?"

"From today on, if you so wish, you will be a member of the Armed Detective Agency. Your answer?" he demanded.

Dimir stared at him, blinking her big, gold speckled blue eyes up at him in shock. As it finally sunk in what he had said, a smile curled her lips. Beaming up at him brightly, like a child who had just been given a whole bucket of candy, she had to restrain herself from hugging the refined man in front of her.

"Of course! Thank you, sir!" she cheered happily.

Happy with the path her life had taken, Dimir accepted a hug from Haruno, all smiles. Fukuzawa watched her, glad she had accepted the offer, but part of him was a little wary of the the fact that he was bring this bight, positive girl into a world that would have her clashing with the darker side of Yokohama, including the Port Mafia.

Hopefully, Dimir proved to be stronger than she looked.

END

Kyandi: You know...I'd purposely zap someone, too. Just...not Junichirou.

Dimir: I believe he has enough on his plate.

Kyandi: Yet, you still zapped him.

Dimir: He was trying so hard to be convincing! I couldn't just let all his hard effort go to waste.

Kyandi: I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or genuinely empathetic.

Dimir: Did you make me to be a sarcastic person?

Kyandi: Not normally, no.

Dimir: Then there's your answer.

Kyandi: Good. Then let's move on. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye.


	3. My Baby

Kyandi: Hey all Kyandiacs!

Dimir: For those of you who don't know, Kyandiacs is what Kyandi-sama's readers are called.

Kyandi: Yeah, I think they've had that name for about half a year now, right?

Dimir: Christmas last year, so yes.

Kyandi: Right, so...I digressed. Sorry. Anyway, I have come back with a new chapter.

Dimir: You really like making me out to be a carefree, adorable type of girl, don't you?

Kyandi: Yes I do.

Dimir: Why?

Kyandi: Uhhh...because you **are** a carefree, adorable type of girl?

Dimir: Oh...

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone, please enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.

Kyandi: Uh, warning, Dimir really has a thing for cars and I do mean REALLY has a thing for them. She tends to ramble on about her knowledge of them.

Chapter 3 My Baby

Over the next week, some members of the agency wondered if Dimir would be able to fit in with the wide variety of strange that was the employees of the agency. As it turned out, none of them needed to worry. Dimir and the Armed Detective Agency ended up going together about as well as bacon and eggs or a fish and water. The girl was extremely helpful. Even when Kunikida and Dazai weren't training her on how to do her job, she insisted on lending a hand around the office. She instantly became beloved by all of the office workers.

Thanks to the lack of rooms in the Agency dorms, Dimir found herself as a permanent resident of Haruno's apartment. At least until she could make enough money to afford her own. Not that Haruno cared one bit. In the week Dimir had been living with her, Haruno had basically claimed the girl as a little sister of sorts. Not that it was hard to see why. Dimir was sweet and helpful, even if she had a blunt way of telling the truth sometimes.

Something that always seemed to come into play when she was talking to Dazai.

That aside, Dimir always seemed to be a positive, cheerful presence in the office, which helped her get along with members like Kenji. Though there was one member of the agency that took a shine to Dimir that none of them had seen coming.

"Dimir!"

Upon hearing the voice call her as the door to the office flew open, Dimir turned. At the moment, she had her arms full of paperwork that she had been helping Haruno cart around while they undated filing in the office. She smiled as Ranpo, a plastic bag in hand, came towards her, a smile on his face. For some reason, the guy had taken an instant liking to Dimir the first time he saw her eat chocolate.

Not that any of them could blame him with the way Dimir reacted to chocolate.

"Morning, Ranpo." Dimir greeted. "What's with the excitement this morning?"

"You remember that little shop I told you about?" Ranpo asked.

"The one that sells your favorite snacks?" Dimir asked, handing the papers she was carrying over to one of the office workers.

"The very same! Just today, they got in a new batch of special dark chocolate candy bars." Ranpo declared.

At the mention of chocolate, Ranpo had Dimir's full attention. Her eyes snapped to his face and she grew still, as if she was waiting for him to continue while holding her breath. Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Ranpo grinned before pulling a brightly wrapped candy bar out of the bag in his hand. He held it out in front of him, Dimir's eyes following it, not daring to look away.

"Of course I bought myself one. This one, however..." Ranpo trailing off, letting Dimir's suspense build. "...is for yo-"

Ranpo didn't even get the full word "you" out before Dimir let out an over joyed cheer, jumping on the spot before she darted forward, snagging the candy bar from his hand. She held the candy bar before her eyes, her eyes lighting up as an adorable smile curled her lips. Everyone in the agency couldn't deny that Dimir was absolutely adorable when she had chocolate in hand. As a thanks for the candy bar, Dimir jumped at Ranpo, giving him a hug and thanking him before she danced away, already peeling open the wrapping to take a bite of the chocolate.

Dropping to sit on one of the couches, Dimir wiggled happily, moaning her joy at the chocolate. She was so happy with her chocolate that when Dazai sat down next to her, sprawling out on the couch until he had his head pillowed on her lap, she didn't seem to notice or care.

"You're seriously just going to let him lay there?" Atsushi asked, watching Dazai as he made himself comfortable.

"I don't mind." Dimir replied.

As she continued to eat her chocolate, she reached down with one hand to start lightly stroking Dazai's hair. A content grin curled Dazai's lips as he folded his hands over his stomach. A somewhat disturbed look fell on Atsushi's face.

"Don't coddle him!" Kunikida snapped from his desk.

"It's not coddling, Doppo." Dimir told him, Kunikida rounding on her with a "What did you call me!?". Dimir merely gave him a smile, not bothering to correct herself. "I find this kind of thing just as comforting as he does."

"How so?" Yosano asked from where she was perched on a desk, watching.

"Just the repetitive action of stroking someone's hair...I don't know. It's just relaxing to me." Dimir answered before looking over her shoulder with wide eyes. "Is that strange?"

"I've heard of stranger things." Yosano told her. "And for the record...you're too sweet and adorable for you're own good."

"You think?" Dimir asked, sheepishly smiling.

"If you aren't careful, a mafioso will snatch you up." Ranpo teased.

"Mafioso?" Dimir asked, twisting to look at him.

"You haven't heard of the Port Mafia?" Atsushi asked.

"I've been too concerned with food and surviving to pay attention to local criminals. If they don't mess with me, I tend not to pay too much attention to people around me. Best not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong if your homeless, you know." Dimir replied.

"Smart. They're not people you want to associate with." Kunikida said, getting up from his seat. He approached the couch and held out a photo to Dimir. "In fact, if you see this man, run."

Dimir took the picture after setting aside her candy bar. She peered down at the man, her head tilting to one side in a curious fashion as a low "huh" left her.

"What is it?" Kunikida asked.

"I've actually seen this man before." Everyone froze, turning wide eyed looks on Dimir as she said this. "But he ignored my existence, so I left as quickly as I could. If fact, when I first met you, Atsushi, and Osamu, I noted a similarity between this man and Osamu."

Dazai opened his eyes then, looking up at her in questioning as Dimir handed the photo back to Kunikida. Pretty much everyone in the office was staring at Dimir in a questioning way, waiting for her to clarify what she meant.

"Oh? And what was that similarity?" Dazai asked.

"Your eyes." Dimir smiled as she looked down at him. "Something in your eyes is the same. Which brings me to a question. Osamu...were you a mafioso?"

"No one knows what he was before joining the agency. They've actually made it into a contest. Winner gets seven hundred thousand yen as a prize." Atsushi told her.

"Oh? So were you, Osamu?" Dimir asked.

"What do you think?" Dazai asked, a grin on his face.

"I say yes." Dimir replied confidently. "But you don't have to tell me if I'm right and, if I am, you can keep the money. I don't need it and I don't like what that kind of money does to a person."

Dazai stared at Dimir as she smiled brightly at him. She really was an interesting kind of person. She had done the one thing none of his co-workers had managed to do.

She had read him like a book.

"Anyway," Dimir said, turning to look at Kunikida instead. "Who was that in the photo. I've only seen him around. Never stopped to get a name."

"His name is Akutagawa." Kunikida told her. "He's dangerous. In fact, if you meet any mafioso, you run. If they find out about your multiple abilities, it could be bad for you."

"I figured as much. I'll be careful." Dimir promised.

"Believe me, I know what it's like to be a target of the Port Mafia. It's awful." Atsushi said, deflating.

"If I can avoid it, I'll stick to Lolita alone to deal with any possible danger. It takes too much strength and energy to use the other ability at any length." Dimir assured them.

"Keeping that in mind, I do have a job for you and Nakajima." Kunikida told her.

Dimir perked up at the sound of that. After being stuck around the office for the last week, she was ready to get out and actually see how the job was done. Atsushi wasn't as thrilled as she was about the idea of going on a job with just a newbie at his side.

"Just the two of us!?" he asked.

"Tanizaki will go with you." Kunikida assured him.

Though, after what had happened the last time Junichirou and Naomi had gone on a job with him, it wasn't so reassuring. Junichirou seemed to think about the same thing for a moment. Thankfully, Naomi was out on errands with another clerk, so they didn't have to worry about her wanting to tag along with them on this job.

"What's the job?" Dimir asked.

By this point, she had stopped stroking Dazai's hair. Seeing that she was completely wrapped up in the possibility of going on a job, he decided to get up, sitting up and getting off the couch. Dimir didn't even notice.

"There's an office down town that's been broken into three times over the last two weeks. You're to find out who is doing it and why." Kunikida told her.

With Dimir, Atsushi, and Junichirou's full attention, Kunikida filled them in on the details of the job. When he had fed them every last detail, the three got the address and headed out. Dimir, smiling brightly, hummed as she walked along side her two co-workers.

"How can you be so relaxed? What if the person is violent?" Atsushi asked.

"You worry too much." Dimir told him, patting him on the arm.

"I kind of agree with him. I mean, my ability isn't suited for combat if that's what it comes down to." Junichirou remarked.

"And I can't control mine fully yet." Atsushi added.

"But mine is a combat oriented ability and I hardly miss a target. If it comes down to it, I can act like a humanoid stun gun. I'm sure, between the three of us, that we'll be fine." Dimir assured them.

"You're too positive." Atsushi groaned.

"No such thing. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Like I've said, life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." Dimir insisted.

"What does that even mean?" Atsushi complained.

"It means that you got to learn how to roll with the hard times or you'll never be able to appreciate the good times. Come on, Atsushi. There's so much good in life. If you constantly focus on the bad, you'll die from stress before you're twenty-five. Don't be such a pessimist."

Atsushi wished he could have said something against that, but looking at her smiling face, he was forced to admit that she was right. He hung his head in defeat and Dimir flashed a victory sign, making Junichirou chuckle lightly.

"That aside, how far is this office?" Dimir asked.

"It's clear on the other side of the city. We'll have to take the train." Junichirou told her.

"Or..." A grin curled Dimir's lips before she seized both of them by the wrist and started dragging them after her. "I have a better, quicker idea."

"What? Where are you dragging us?" Atsushi asked.

"A friend of mine owns a storage place near here and he's currently storing something for me." Dimir told them.

Whatever it was, the idea of it put a wide smile on her face.

They had no idea what they were walking into.

"I'm taking you two to meet my baby."

-0-0-0-0-

" _ **This**_ is your baby!?"

Junichirou and Atsushi couldn't believe their eyes. Dimir had dragged them all the way to her friend's storage place. The man had gladly let her into the storage unit he kept just for her, but neither of her co-workers had expected what they found. When the door rolled up, it revealed a form shrouded in a tarp. Dimir, bouncing with glee, yanked the tarp off, revealing none other than a car.

The car was a sleek, two door number with a purple to blue ombre paint job. Everything about the car, from the polished paint job, to the carefully cared for tires and rims, to the simple leather inside, spoke of long time care. As soon as the tarp was free, Dimir leaned against the hood, spreading herself over it, a happy smile on her face.

"Yeah, this is my baby. It's a Nissan 200SX. In my opinion, it's one of the top choices for drifting. I won it in a race a couple of years back and it's been my pride and joy since." Dimir told them.

"Wait, you race!?"

Atsushi and Junichirou said this together, the two of them staring at Dimir in disbelief. Dimir grinned back at them. They were pretty sure she couldn't get any happier than she was at the moment.

"Yeah, I do. Well, I drift more than actually racing. More excitement that way, more challenging." Dimir replied.

"Uh...there's a difference?" Junichirou asked.

"Of course. Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally over-steers. With the loss of traction in the rear wheels or all tires, we have to maintain control and drive the car through the entirety of a corner. Most drifting races involve some kind of track with a lot of turns. I use to race in parking garages. First one to the top without wiping out, wins. Regular races involve a straight, mile long stretch of road. No turns, just a matter of who can handle the speed in their car better." Dimir explained.

"And you won this car?" Atsushi asked.

"Oh yeah. A lot of racers are really hard core. When we race, we put up our pink slips." Dimir replied.

"Pink slips? You mean you put up the ownership of your car? But why?" Junichirou asked.

"Because, it's a matter of pride. We put a lot of work into our cars, customizing them. They literally become our life's work. I can't put a figure on the amount of money I put into this baby back when I actually had the spare cash. Because of the pride we carry in our cars, it makes sense that it's our greatest possession and therefore, the prize we put up for a race." Dimir explained.

"Have you won a lot?" Junichirou asked.

"A good handful of times. Because of the "lightning fast" reflexes I have obtained from using my ability, I'm fairly good at racing and drifting. Not to mention, I'm pretty handy with cars. Learning which parts to swap out to increase speed and the ease in which I take corners, came second nature, it seemed. Though, I've only raced for pink slips twice. Won both times. I kept this car and sold the other. I have to admit...I had my eye on this car for a solid month before I raced the previous owner."

"Why?" Atsushi asked.

"Well, like I said, this is a Nissan 200SX and I believe it's a top choice for any drifter. It doesn't matter if you have an early S13 model or a later S14 or S15 model, they're all good. The difference being that the S13 model reaches 180 horse power from a 1.8 liter turbo CA18DET motor, while the other two models use a 2.0 liter turbo SR20DET motor and reach 200 horse power. No matter the model, they're all strong, easy to learn in, and have a wide variety of tuning parts available. Something I personally look for in a car. Though, to be honest, this model, the S14 model, is the best because it has the perfect compromise between budget and all-around performance. In this model, the wheelbase and track are increased which makes the handling of the car slightly better. Of course, between the S13 model and this model, this model received a new version of the SR20DET which has a slight bump in power due to the implementation of Nissan's variable cam timing system on the intake cam and a larger T28 turbochar...ger..."

Dimir looked up, an excited smile on her face, and trailed off when she saw the confused, lost looks on her two co-workers' faces. Realizing that she had just gone off on a tangent, leaving her friends confused, she stood up straight and cleared her throat.

"Uh...sorry. I tend to forget that not everyone knows about cars like I do." she told them.

"No, it's alright. So, you can actually drive this thing?" Junichirou asked.

"Yep. I have my license. I'm a little too young, but the man who got it for me pulled a few strings. Since I came to Yokohama, I've stored it here, but I do take it out, now and then, for a cleaning and an over all check-up. The tank is full and I can drive it out of here right now. It would be a lot quicker if I just drove us to our job." Dimir said.

"I don't know about this." Atsushi said nervously.

"I promise, Atsushi, I'm a good driver. And contrary to popular belief, not all racers feel the need to race every time they're behind the wheel." Dimir told him, pulling a set of keys out of the pocket of her coat.

Though Atsushi still looked iffy on the whole thing, he climbed into the back seat of the car. Taking that to mean that they could take the car, Dimir did an adorable little dance on the spot before sliding behind the wheel of the car. Junichirou took the passenger side, front seat as Dimir slid the key into the ignition. She pulled the car out of the locker, letting the owner of the facility close the locker behind her.

"Thanks, again!" she called to him, turning back to face the wheel of the car. "Time to hit the road. Junichirou, do you think you can give me directions?"

"Yeah, sure."

With a nod, Dimir pulled out onto the road. It took several blocks before Atsushi relaxed, but he soon found that Dimir was good to her word. She never got over the speed limit and she was especially cautious navigating the streets. Thankfully, it took half the time it would of by train, to reach the office. Parking in the parking lot next door, the three went up to speak with the employees that worked in the office.

Each told them the same story.

The man, for they were sure it was a man, struck either before opening or after closing, as if he knew when the first person arrived and the last person left. He always went straight for the bank envelope in the boss's safe and managed to crack into the safe quickly and without fuss. While the boss explained to them his theory of someone at the office being the one behind the break-ins, Dimir asked him to allow her to study the safe. She examined the safe door, running one finger over the edges of the door while he talked.

"I'm telling you, it has to be one of my employees." the man, Narushima, whined.

"I don't think so."

Atsushi and Junichirou looked up at Dimir as Narushima turned to her, one hand on his hip. Dimir was crouched in front of the safe, her eyes fixed on the door. Now and then, she would glance around the room, her eyes searching.

"Why's that?" Narushima asked.

"This safe...It's a SentrySafe, right? Electronic lock, four 1-inch bolts, pry-resistant hinges, and able to withstand drops of up to fifteen feet?" Dimir asked.

"Yeah...how'd you know?" Narushima asked.

"It was a common brand used in businesses back in my hometown. Reasonably, all the features on this thing sound great, but they have one major flaw." Dimir remarked.

"Which is?" Junichirou asked.

"You can open this safe, and many others like it, with one stupidly simple way...with a magnet. A rare earth magnet, to be more precise." Dimir answered.

"What are you talking about?" Narushima asked. "I was assured that this safe was fail proof."

"Then you were lied to. I've seen it in person. Most rare earth magnets are made of neodymium, but if you find one from the seventies, they're made of a samarium-cobalt alloy. They're extremely powerful and play hell on electronics in general. It's why your electronic clock, there, is on the fritz." Dimir told him, gesturing to a clock sitting on the table just a few feet away.

The clock was rapidly blinking, the screen glitching out now and then, much like a computer screen when the computer was confronted with a virus or something else bad for it. Narushima, surprised, turned to the clock, picking it up.

"I...I didn't even notice the clock." he remarked.

"With that fancy wrist watch, I'm not surprised. My point behind pointing this out is that whoever is behind this wants you to think it's one of your employees. My guess is that it's someone who has been to this office multiple times before. An ex-employee, maybe a delivery man. Someone who knows you keep money in the safe before transferring it to a bank." Dimir said as she stood up. "Perhaps someone with a grudge or someone who has recently fallen on hard times."

Narushima shook his head as she said this. He sat the clock back down before turning to look at her.

"I know several people like that." he told her.

"Well...tell me about this person who suggested you use this type of safe." Dimir demanded.

"He's an old friend of mine. We use to work here together until his father fell ill and he had to leave. We've fallen out of touch since the..." Narushima trailed off. "You think it's him?"

"He knew the kind of safe you had, worked with you so he knows what times the first person clocks in and the last person clocks out. He knows when there's large sums in the safe, has a motive. I'd say he's a suspect, at least."

Dimir looked up at the three males in the room and stopped when she found all three staring at her intently with shocked looks on their faces. She blinked back at them in confusion, wondering what she could have done to make them look at her like that.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You're really good at this." Atsushi remarked.

"It only common sense stuff I learned while working in Machida. It's a big city and is prone to crime just like any other city. I make it a point to try to learn from past experiences." Dimir replied.

"So what should we do about catching the thief?" Junichirou asked.

"Well, lets see...Mr. Narushima, when is the next time you collect account dues to hold in the safe?" Dimir asked.

"Tomorrow. It goes to the bank the day after." Narushima replied.

"Then the thief will strike either tomorrow after closing or the following day before opening. All we can do is be here, laying in waiting." Dimir suggested.

"I can lock you in the office before closing." Narushima offered.

"That'll help, thanks." Junichirou told him.

With a plan of action decided upon, Dimir, Junichirou, and Atsushi bid their farewells to Narushima until the following day. As they walked out of the building, Dimir stretched.

"Pretty straight forward, wasn't it? Virtually uneventful." she remarked.

"That's good. Hopefully, it means we can finish the job without any problems." Junichirou replied.

"Would be nice." Dimir said, Atsushi agreeing with her. "Anyway, I'm hungry. What about you two?"

"Some lunch sounds nice." Junichirou agreed.

"I think I saw an outdoor cafe just around the corner. Would be good since the day is so nice out. The two of you can go on ahead and I'll find a parking spot closer." Dimir offered.

Junichirou and Atsushi agreed and headed off down the street while Dimir made her way back to her car. When she had disappeared into the parking lot where the car sat, Junichirou turned to Atsushi.

"She seems to be doing quite well." he remarked.

"Yeah. A lot better than me when I first started." Atsushi said on a sigh, hanging his head.

As they continued to walk, Junichirou tried to assure Atsushi that that simply wasn't true. If Junichirou hadn't been facing Atsushi while doing this, then he wouldn't have seen the attack when it came. Grabbing Atsushi's arm, Junichirou yanked him out of the way. The sudden tug knocked both of them over, allowing them to avoid the hit that blew past them, kicking up wind.

"What was that?!"

Atsushi and Junichirou looked up, their eyes following the path of destruction left behind by whatever had attacked them. Atsushi recognized the damage as what was left behind when Akutagawa attacked people.

"We meet again, Man-Tiger."

Atsushi's eyes flew up as Akutagawa stepped into sight. Almost instantly, Junichirou grabbed Atsushi's arm and, praying that Dimir didn't show up and get attacked as well, ran, dragging Atsushi behind him. Attempting to stop them, Akutagawa attacked again, but the two ducked into an alley, barely avoiding the attack.

"We got to get out of here and, hopefully, Dimir doesn't show up." Junichirou said as they ran.

Atsushi agreed. Dimir had already proved that she would put herself in danger's way in order to protect a friend. While she was well aware of what Akutagawa was capable of, she wouldn't hesitate to jump into a fight to save Atsushi and Junichirou.

Another attack came from behind then, this one skimming Junichirou's side, sending him tumbling to the ground with a cry of pain. Atsushi slid to a halt, turning to Junichirou. Already, blood was seeping past the shredded side of Junichirou's side.

"You can't run from me, Man-Tiger." Akutagawa said as he neared them.

Atsushi's brain was on over drive. How was he suppose to get an injured Junichirou out of there and avoid a fight with Akutagawa?

"This time, you can't run." Akutagawa declared.

"Who needs to run?"

The voice sounded just a moment before a bolt of lightning struck the open ground between Akutagawa and Atsushi and Junichirou. The flash blinded all three for a moment, making them cover their eyes. When they could all see again, Atsushi looked up to find the last person he wanted to see at that moment.

"Something wrong here, boys?"

Dimir, a smile on her face, now stood between Akutagawa and his prey, her hands clasped behind her back. Akutagawa wasn't sure what had happened or where she had come from, but she was standing in his way.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can work it out peacefully, yeah?" Dimir asked.

"Get out of my way or die." was Akutagawa's reply.

Dimir heaved a sigh.

"I guess not." she muttered, half turning to Atsushi and Junichirou. "Atsushi, you can drive, yeah?"

"Somewhat. You don't plan to stay behind, do you?!" Atsushi demanded.

"No worries, Atsushi. I'm as hard to catch as lightning without a lightning rod. Just don't wreck my car or we're going to have a problem, you and I." Dimir told him, tossing him the keys. "Get Junichirou out of here and back to the Agency."

Atsushi took the keys. He really didn't want to leave Dimir behind, but Junichirou needed first aid. He would have to call Dazai and Kunikida from the car.

"The car is at the end of the alley. Go!" Dimir ordered.

"If you think you can get away-"

"Then I'm sadly mistaken? Not really." Dimir said cheerfully, cutting Akutagawa off.

Akutagawa's reply, was an attack. The attack was cut short by a wall of electricity that formed when Dimir used her ability to make electricity explode from every electrical box lining the alley. She had just caused a whole street worth of buildings to lose their electricity, but at least it stopped Akutagawa's Rashoumon.

"Go, Atsushi! I'll be fine." Dimir yelled.

Pulling Junichirou's arm around his neck, Atsushi did as told. As soon as he had Junichirou in the car, he would call Dazai to have him and Kunikida come after Dimir before she could get too awfully hurt at Akutagawa's hands.

When he was gone, Dimir turned her full attention to Akutagawa. And he wasn't happy with her and her interference. Not that she could blame him since she had gotten in his way. She wasn't exactly a happy camper when people got in her way, either.

"Sorry, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't step in, you know?" Dimir said.

Dimir hit the ground when Rashoumon attacked once more at the bidding of its master. Instead of her, it took out a large chunk of a building wall. Dimir, from a crouched position, glanced back at the damaged wall.

"Okay...apology **not** accepted. Got it."

Dimir darted out of the way of his next attack, flipping to land on her feet once more.

"You got in my way...now you'll die!" Akutagawa yelled.

"Uh, no. Sorry, but I don't plan to die today. Bye-bye!"

With that said, Dimir bent her knees. She gave a little hop and the moment her feet touched the ground again, she applied a bit of her electricity to her feet and rocketed forward, flashing past Akutagawa before he could react. She waved back to him as she called another farewell before slipping around the end of the alley to vanish off down the street.

But Akutagawa wasn't letting her go that easily.

Not that she really expected him to.

Dimir slid around a corner, darting past people in her attempt to lose him. While he was mafia, Dimir had banked on him not being willing to drag civilians, and therefore, the police, into the chase. Whether that was the case or he simple was frustrated by the sheer amount of people around, she didn't know, but it managed to slow him down briefly.

But only briefly.

After it clicked in the civilians heads that the person in hot pursuit of a little girl, was the infamous Dog of the Port Mafia, they all took off, screaming, scrambling to get out of his way. By the time his way to Dimir had cleared, the girl had gained some ground, pulling ahead of him. He sent his Rashoumon after her, but, with a squeal, Dimir hit the ground rolling, coming back up to her feet to continue running.

Akutagawa knew she was baiting him, getting him to chase her further and further away from Atsushi and Junichirou, but when she suddenly slide to a stop at a corner, cupped her mouth, and yelled, "Slowpoke!" back at him, his anger made him blind to that fact. He surged forward and, with a small "epp!", Dimir spun and darted off.

Dimir was well aware she was poking a sleeping bear, something her mother had told her not to do, but she had to protect her friends, give them a head start. Unfortunately, she had picked the wrong street to run down.

She swore, one of these days, her luck would turn around.

Flying down the street, she met the last person she really should want to.

Running down the sidewalk, people jumping out of her way, a man with a little girl at his side, stepped into her path. Dimir yelled a warning for the two to get out of the way. When he turned to look at her, his eyes widened slightly, as if in surprise, but he didn't move. Dimir didn't have anywhere to duck into to her left and to her right was a busy street, so she did the only thing she could. Bending her knees a little further on the next step, she added the extra kick from her electrical ability that sent her rocketing forward.

Grabbing the man and girl around the waist, she took another electrical, bouncing step and rocketed into the air, avoiding Akutagawa's next attack. Dimir landed easily on the roof of the three story building the man and girl had come out of and set the two down, instantly bowing in apology to them.

"I'm so sorry to have to suddenly grab you like that, but you were in harm's way." she told them. The man blinked at her in surprise while the little girl stood right beside him. "You should be safe here. Just knock on the door and someone should let you in. If you receive any trouble just tell them to contact Nabokov Dimir at the Armed Detective Agency. Be careful!"

With that and a smile at the two, Dimir turned and, using her electrified step, jumped from the rooftop. She kicked of a lamp post and then a car roof, landing on the opposite side of the street. Akutagawa, having seeing her land, came her direction. Dimir quickly scanned her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was and, therefore, where she should go next, when a car suddenly came to a screeching halt in front of her. The window closest to her rolled down, Dimir tensing in anticipation, only for it to reveal Kunikida behind the wheel and a smiling Dazai in the passenger seat.

"Doppo! Osamu!" Dimir called in cheer.

"Get in! Quick!" Kunikida ordered, Dazai reaching back to throw open the back door.

Dimir, without a moment's hesitation, dived into the back seat of the car, pulling the door close. Before Akutagawa could reach them, Kunikida punched the gas, the car racing off down the street. Dimir peered out the rear window, watching as Akutagawa vanished. She really hoped the man and girl would be alright.

"What the hell where you thinking!?" Kunikida suddenly yelled from the front seat.

Dimir turned around, dropping to sit into the seat and buckle her seat belt.

"I take it that Atsushi and Junichirou made it back alright?" she asked, instead of answering the question.

Kunikida huffed but all it took was one look at her worried expression in his rear view mirror, for him to realize she was really concerned for her friends. Heaving a sigh, he relaxed, lowering his voice.

"Yes, they made it back. Doctor Yosano is taking care of Tanizaki now. Your car is parked behind the office building. Why didn't you tell us you had a car?!" Kunikida asked.

"You didn't ask. Honestly, how else do you think I got to Yokohama?" Dimir replied.

Kunikida muttered to himself, seeing the somewhat logic behind that, though he questioned her on why she hadn't sold the car to feed herself. Dimir's reply was that her car was to her what his notebook was to him.

Kunikida didn't say another word about the car.

"Well, the Director wants to talk to you when we get back." Dazai told her, turning to look back at her. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine. I can apply the stored up electricity from Lolita, to the tips of my toes when running or jumping. It adds an extra kick to my step. I pretty much avoided all of his attacks. He loses his temper very easily, doesn't he?" Dimir replied.

"I told you to run, didn't I!?" Kunikida snapped.

"I did run. I just made sure that Atsushi and Junichirou ran first and that I ran in the opposite direction." Dimir replied.

"You know what I meant! You didn't show off more than one ability, did you?" Kunikida asked.

"No. I only used Lolita." Dimir replied.

Kunikida heaved a relieved sigh. They had managed, this time, to escape Dimir becoming the main focus of the Port Mafia. Dazai, on the other hand, had seen Dimir jump from the rooftop, had seen who she had been speaking with. Though she hadn't noticed it, Dimir had been talking to the boss of the Port Mafia. Whether or not she had intended for it to happen, she had just snagged the Port Mafia's attention.

Things were about to get more complicated.

END

Kyandi: You really are a car nerd.

Dimir: And who is the one that did all the research so I could be the car nerd?

Kyandi: ...Me.

Dimir: So what does that make you?

Kyandi: Very devoted!

Dimir: Yes, yes. Devoted indeed.

Kyandi: Anyway, I have other stories to work on, so everyone enjoy and review.

Dimir: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	4. Sneaking Around

Kyandi: Hey all Kyandiacs. Sorry we've been gone so long.

Dimir: She's taking this one slow so she doesn't catch up with the manga too quickly.

Kyandi: Yep. That being said, I got a little ahead of myself and have two chapters to upload for all of you today.

Dimir: She reached a part she had been looking forward to.

Kyandi: I did. Now, before we start, everyone needs to remember...Dimir is a very...unique and odd person.

Dimir: Am I suppose to take offense to that?

Kyandi: No. Not one bit. I'm just reminding them so when they see how you act, they'll remember and just be like, "Oh! She's quirky and weird!".

Dimir: Okay, that's starting to sound a little insulting.

Kyandi: Okay, I'll stop. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.

Chapter 4 Sneaking Around

As punishment for her heroic, yet reckless actions, Dimir was confided to the office for the next few days, leaving Atsushi and a newly healed Junichirou to finish their job. This left Dimir sulking at one of the spare desks that had been given to her to use. Currently, she was bent over the desk, head pillowed on her arms.

"Sulking isn't going to make the time pass." Kunikida called to her from across the room.

"I'm not sulking, I just don't know what to do. I can't go out on jobs and Haruno and the others don't need my help." Dimir replied, sitting up in her chair, looking the part of the thoroughly scolded, adorable young lady.

Today's outfit of choice for Dimir, was a sleeveless, high necked, mid-thigh length, pale grey dress with a vermilion red bow tied at her neck. Knee length stockings matched the bow in color and grey flats clad her feet. Someone, Kunikida was sure it had been either Naomi or Ranpo, had stuck a freshly plucked, red flower into her hair right where she pinned back the hair on the left side of her head.

Her expression was sad, her head hung to one side as a sigh left her lips. Kunikida couldn't take it anymore. Dimir just had this way of making a person feel guilty, even when they didn't have anything to do with it. Kunikida quickly turned back to what he was doing, deciding that not looking at Dimir was probably in his best interest. Seeing that, Dimir heaved another sigh.

It was then that Atsushi came flying into the office. When Kunikida turned to him, asking what he was in such a hurry about, Atsushi answered him with something that instantly caught Dimir's attention.

"Dazai's gone missing?" Kunikida repeated.

"He's not picking up his phone, nor has he returned to his apartment." Atsushi replied.

None of the others looked the least bit concerned. Then again, given how many times Dazai had tried to kill himself, Dimir wasn't really surprised that they weren't concerned.

"He's probably in the river again." Kunikida said.

"Or maybe in the earth again?" Kenji suggested.

"He's definitely being detained again." Ranpo said with certainty.

"But some nasty things happened a few days ago...could he have been assassinated by the mafia?" Atsushi asked.

"Don't be stupid. That man is extraordinarily sensitive to danger and adaptable at surviving. He has repeatedly committed suicide but has never succeeded once." Kunikida told him. "How could a guy who can't be killed even by himself, get done in by the mafia?"

"I think that his unsuccessful attempts speaks more to his lack of capability in that area, rather than his resilience." Dimir chimed in.

"He's still incredibly difficult to kill." Kunikida insisted.

"Still..." Atsushi continued.

"I'll look into it."

All eyes turned to the doorway. Standing there, still looking a little pale to Dimir's eyes, was Tanizaki.

"Tanizaki, you're alright!" Atsushi said in relief.

Dimir was instantly on her feet, hurrying over to him.

"Shouldn't you be resting still?" she asked.

"I'm alright. Thanks to you showing up." Tanizaki told her.

"I'm sorry I didn't show up sooner." Dimir apologized. "I'm just glad to see that you're alright."

"Thanks to Doctor Yasano's treatment." Kunikida remarked. "Tanizaki. How many times have you been dissected?"

Dimir watched as Tanizaki's face went as white a sheet, his eyes widening in horror as if he was reliving a horrid nightmare. She grew concerned when he hung his head, his shoulder hunching up.

"...Four times." Tanizaki said before sinking into a crouch, clutching his head like he was about to cry. "Atsushi, Dimir...as members of the Agency, you'd better not get hurt."

Okay, that solidified Dimir's thoughts. She would never get hurt because she honestly didn't want to know what Yosano did to her patients. Dimir crouched next to Tanizaki and patted his back.

"You didn't run even when you knew it was the mafia. You brought this on yourself, Tanizaki. And don't get me started on you, Nabokov." Kunikida said.

Dimir smiled up at Kunikida as she continued to pat Tanizaki's back. The lecture she had gotten from the Director had been more than enough for her. He had been sorely displeased with Dimir for her actions. While she had been helping her co-workers, possibly saving Tanizaki's life, she had also possibly put herself on the Mafia's radar, which was somewhere that the Director didn't want her to be.

"If you want me to apologize for helping a friend, then you're going to be sadly disappointed, Doppo, because I'm not going to. If it's in defense of a friend, I will never regret my actions." Dimir told him simply, making Kunikida want to strangle her.

"To realize something's wrong and run for it. That's the ability to notice danger." Ranpo chimed in, pulling a pocket watch from his pocket. "For example, ten seconds from now..."

Dimir turned, Tanizaki nearly jumping out of his skin, when the door opened and a yawning Yosano came into the office. Dimir thought he was going to try clawing his way through the wall to get away from the doctor.

"I overslept." Yosano said.

"Yosano." Atsushi greeted.

"Ahh, you're Atsushi, the newbie, right? Does it hurt anywhere?" Yosano asked.

"No, I'm fine." Atsushi replied.

Yosano clicked her tongue in displeasure before turning to Dimir. Looking the younger girl over, Yosano took her gloved hands in hers. Dimir blinked in confusion as Yosano ran gloved clad finger tips over her skin.

"Such smooth and scar free skin. I'll be sure to return it to such a pristine condition whenever you get hurt." Yosano told Dimir, a sinister grin on her face.

Dimir, smiling brightly, calmly pried her hand from Yosano's, taking one step back. She tucked her hands behind her back and gave Yosano a cute little giggle/smile that betrayed none of her unease at the though of possibly being treated by Yosano.

"Oh, no worries, Doctor. Ao, one of my Ten Dark Women, acts as a healer for me. You will never have to bother yourself with healing my injuries." Dimir told her. "And to be honest...it's not as scar free as you think it is."

Yosano was just as displeased as with Atsushi and turned away from Dimir. Atsushi, his voice pitched low, leaned towards Dimir.

"You really have a healing element to one of your abilities?" he asked.

"Nope, none. I just don't want that woman healing my injuries. By the way, unless I'm about to die, any injuries I receive, stays between you and me." Dimir replied.

Atsushi was more than happy to oblige just as long as she agreed to do the same thing for him. Dimir agreed before retreating to the desk she had been given, perching herself on the edge. It was from there that she watched as the others slipped away after Yosano begun to speak once again.

"By the way, I'm going shopping and need someone to carry my stuff..." Yosano looked around, noticing that Atsushi and Dimir were the only ones left. She turned to Atsushi then. "Seems like you are the only one around."

Atsushi whipped around, finding all but Dimir gone. Dimir smiled brightly at him when he gave her a pleading look, as if he thought **she** could do something to help him.

"I'm not allow to go out on any jobs or errands, remember?" Dimir replied, Atsushi deflating with every word. "Have fun with Doctor Yosano!"

Dimir remained on her perch, waving as Yosano drug Atsushi away. When the door closed, the smile slipped off her face. Digging in her pocket, Dimir pulled out the cellphone that Dazai had gotten for her under the orders of the Director. Flipping it open, she scrolled through the short list of contacts she had until she landed on Dazai's name. Hitting the call button, she put the phone to her ear.

She listened to the ring before it took her to voice mail. Dimir hit the end button, snapping her phone close, one side of her mouth scrunching up. Dazai always answered the phone for her, even when she called in the middle of the night. Which she did a few times just to see if he actually would answer her call anytime. If he wasn't answering now, then something was up.

Dimir tapped her chin with the end of her cellphone as she thought about what to do from there. Technically, she wasn't allowed to leave the office without someone else. The Director's way of keeping her out of trouble and out of danger.

But...if there was no one there to watch her...

Dimir's phone suddenly beeped, alerting her that she had an incoming text message. Flipping her phone open, she peered down at the message that popped up on her screen. Her eyes widened for a moment before a grin curled her lips. Flipping her phone close, she jumped down from her perch and grabbed her sleeveless trench coat.

Well, if no one was there, then who could really stop her from leaving?

She would blame their lack of foresight later.

-0-0-0-0-

"So you've brought back another troublesome one."

After the day he had, Atsushi really didn't know how to reply when Kunikida said this. Looking up from where he was crouched in front of the doors to the Agency infirmary, he had just a moment to catch the cellphone tossed to him.

"The battery has already been removed." Kunikida told him as Atsushi looked at the phone.

While out with Yosano, running errands, they had come across two member of the Port Mafia. One of those members, was a young girl whose ability was being controlled by another member of the Port Mafia, via her she had failed her mission, the girl had tried to blow herself up. Atsushi had saved her, barely, and had brought her back to the agency.

"If I had noticed earlier..." Atsushi remarked.

"Don't sweat it. It wasn't your fault. It was already too late." Kunikida told him, showing him an article in the paper with the headlines, "Family of police officers brutally murdered" and "The culprit is a young girl?". "That little girl is an infamous assassin in the neighborhood. She fools enemy factions into letting down their guard with her appearance and slaughters them. But she fights too ferociously. Her face has been seen. Her arrest is just a matter of time."

"No way...the evil ones are those abusing her ability." Atsushi protested.

"Abilities don't necessarily bring happiness. Look at Nabokov. She hasn't exactly had it easy. And you...you know this very well, don't you?" Kunikida retorted.

Atsushi knew he was right. His ability hadn't brought him anything but scorn and misfortune up until he joined the Agency and, even then, it still brought him trouble. Over hearing Kunikida mention Dimir, Haruno looked up from her work and peered around the office.

"Speaking of Dimir...where is she?" Haruno asked.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and started looking around. Dimir was nowhere in sight and even her coat, phone, and keys were missing from her desk. This didn't bode well to any of them. If Dimir had defied orders and had gone out on her own, they could only imagine that it was something serious and she hadn't left any note or message behind for them.

Just what was the girl up to now?

-0-0-0-0-

Bored.

Bored didn't even begin to describe how Dazai felt at the moment. Just standing there, strung up by chains in one of the Mafia's hideouts. Letting out a yawn, he turned his attention to the shackles on his wrists. Focusing on his shackle, he begun to wiggle his wrist.

"...can I make it in time?" he wondered lowly.

"You're as wily as ever, Dazai!"

"That voice..."

Dazai's eyes went wide as he turned to look at the person approaching him, a grin on his face. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking happier than ever, was Mafia Executive, Nakahara Chuya, Dazai's former partner.

"What a glorious view! Even better than some costly famous painting!" Chuya declared.

"Crap. Oh, crap." Dazai muttered.

"What a lovely reaction. I'm so happy I'm dying to strangle you." Chuya said, proceeding to crack his knuckles in glee.

"Wow. The little guy in black is talking!" Dazai remarked, annoying Chuya with the comment. "I've always wanted to ask you, why did you buy that embarrassing hat?"

"That's rich, coming from you, you vagabond. Aren't you always babbling about suicide when you're at the prime of your life?" Chuya asked.

"Yeah." was Dazai's simply and straight forward answer.

"You should at least have the decency to deny it. But now, you're nothing more than a pathetic prisoner. Don't cry, Dazai. No. Now that I think about it..." Chuya reached forward, grabbing Dazai by the hair and pulling his head down to his eye level. "This smells a bit fishy. You might be able to fool that inexperienced Akutagawa, but not me. I am your old friend, after all. What are you up to?"

"What am I up to...? As you can see, I got caught, and am waiting to be executed." Dazai replied back, faking innocence when Chuya knew better.

" **The** Dazai wouldn't have been captured out of bad luck or carelessness. If you were that incompetent, I would've killed you long ago." Chuya snapped, crossing his arms.

"You're being paranoid. Your hair will fall out if you fret so much. Are you...!?" Dazai started, Chuya pulling his hat off his head to show him his hair.

"I'm not trying to hide a bald patch. That was for your information." Chuya said tartly, putting his hat back on his head. "I didn't come all the way here to chat with you."

"Then why are you here?" Dazai asked.

"Why? To spite you. Back then, your 'spite' was almost an art. You made a fool out of everyone, be them friend or foe. But," Chuya lashed out, swinging a kick so powerful that not only did it sever the chains on Dazai's shackles, it cracked the wall Dazai was chained to. "You'll end up having a taste of your own medicine, but multiplied tenfold. I don't know what you're up to, but with that, your plan is ruined. Let's duel, Dazai. I will bash you up along with that plan in your head."

"Chuya..." Dazai gave a snap of his fingers, the shackles falling free. "You want to foil my plan? You're kidding, right?"

"So, you could've escaped whenever you wanted? Now that's much more interesting!"

Chuya launched himself forward, attacking with speed and power. Dazai dodged most of them, catching Chuya's fist as it flew past his face, and landing a punch of his own to Chuya's gut. A punch that, against Chuya, had no effect.

"What kind of punch is this?" Chuya asked, smirking as he kicked Dazai, sending the taller man flying back into the wall with enough force to crack the wall and send Dazai sliding down to the floor. "It's even weaker than a massage. Your close combat skills have always been below average in the mafia. Your nullifying ability is troublesome, but it won't do you any good in this case. Get up. The party has barely started."

"As expected of the best martial artist in the mafia." Dazai said, popping back to his feet. "I thought the arm I used to block the blow would be broken."

Chuya frowned as he realized what Dazai had done. Right before impact, Dazai had raised an arm to block the kick, lessening the blow. Dazai had seen through his attack.

"After all, I've been your partner for a long time. I know all your moves and habits like the back of my hand. That's what being a partner means, right?" Dazai asked.

Annoyed, Chuya shot forward, his speed faster than Dazai remembered it being.

"Then you should be able to see through this attack, too. Right?!" Chuya demanded, landing a hard punch to Dazai's face. "Now this! Is how you throw a punch!"

The next punch landed hard to Dazai's gut, making him spit up blood from the force. Seizing Dazai by the throat, Chuya pinned him back against the wall. Dazai tried to pry Chuya's hand away from his throat, but Chuya wasn't letting go.

"You think you could win just because you knew my moves? Game over." Chuya said, pulling a knife and aiming it for Dazai's throat.

"I think that's enough now."

Chuya froze on the spot, as thin fingers curled loosely around his neck, finger tips pressing against the pulse in his neck. Dazai peered past Chuya and grinned when he saw who stood there.

"I was starting to wonder when you would show up." Dazai remarked.

"Well, it's not exactly easy to sneak into a Port Mafia building, Osamu. Especially since I wasn't suppose to be leaving the office in the first place."

Chuya tensed, ready to turn and strike whoever was behind him. Dazai's grin grew and his grip on Chuya's hand tightened.

"I wouldn't if I were you. Her touch is...well, electrifying." Dazai warned.

Chuya tensed further when he could hear as well as somewhat feel the electricity that crackled off the back of the hand touching him. Thankfully, it stayed away from the fingers pressed to his throat or he would have gotten quite the shock. Turning his head just enough to peer over his shoulder, Chuya was greeted with the beautifully smiling face of Dimir.

"Chuya, meet my new co-worker...Nabokov Dimir." Dazai said introducing the girl. "Dimir, this is Nakahara Chuya."

"So you were a mafioso, Osamu. You owe me seven hundred thousand yen for guessing right, isn't that right?" Dimir asked, Dazai chuckling.

"I though you didn't like what that kind of money could do to you." Dazai remarked.

"I'll find some nice charities to give it to." Dimir replied, before her eyes turned back to Chuya, her eyes locking in on his.

"How'd you...?!" Chuya begun, Dimir smiling brightly at him.

"How did I manage to sneak in? I'm just very crafty, is all. When you spend most of your life the way I have, you learn how to go unnoticed." she told him simply. "Now, if you don't mind, I've come to pick up Osamu and would greatly appreciate it if you would release him."

Chuya grit his teeth, turning his eyes back to Dazai. He still didn't drop the knife he held to Dazai's throat and didn't release him.

"One last thing, tell me...why did you let yourself be captured? What are you waiting for in this place?" Chuya demanded. Dazai didn't say anything at first. "Not telling? Suit yourself. Even with your little friend behind me, I'm not concerned. You're only making this interrogation more fun."

Behind Chuya, Dimir raised an eyebrow, her fingers pressing just a little more into his skin, all four fingers now resting on his skin. Chuya could feel the crackle of electricity building and Dazai knew that a fight was about to break out between the two. While he knew Dimir could handle herself, he knew the girl wouldn't fare so well if Chuya managed to get his hands on her. It would be best for him to just answer.

"I did it...mostly for Atsushi." Dazai answered.

"Atsushi?" Chuya asked.

"The man-tiger you lot are so obsessed with. I'm dying to know what kind of rich sod would put a seventy billion yen bounty on him." Dazai replied.

"You put yourself in danger for him? You put **her** in danger by making her come here for you, just for him? What a touching story...is what I wanted to say, but this is how it ends." Chuya said, tightening his grip on Dazai's neck.

Dimir pouted from behind Chuya. He apparently wasn't concerned about her in the least. The look Dazai cast her way, though, kept her from doing anything to stop Chuya.

"You're a shadow of the man you used to be, Mr. "Youngest Boss In History". Still, how unfortunate of you...being captured six months later, on the day I returned from suppressing some small fry in the west. If I may say so myself, I'm damned lucky." Chuya remarked.

Dazai chuckling, ruined Chuya's good mood.

"What's so funny?" Chuya demanded.

"Let me tell you something interesting. There will be a **Five Boss conference tomorrow**." Dazai told him.

"Five Boss conference? No way. It is only held every few years, only when there are extremely important internal issues to be decided. If that were true, they should have contacted-"

"It's because I had Dimir, there, send a letter to your higher-ups. You found it and sent it, right, Dimir?" Dazai asked.

"I found it right where you told me I would and sent it out. Express mailed it, in fact. They should have it now." Dimir confirmed, Chuya glancing back at her before turning his eyes back to Dazai.

"Now, it's just a bet, but you won't kill me. You will tell me where to find information about the one offering the bounty. Then, you will leave this room, talking and walking like a girl with turned-in feet." Dazai said, much to Chuya's outrage.

"Osamu, you don't have to go that far." Dimir protested, but Dazai just grinned.

"My predictions always come true. I thought you knew that, Chuya." Dazai said,

"Under such...circumstances? You must be kidding. What letter?" Chuya asked.

"Dimir, you read it. Care to share?" Dazai asked, smirking.

"It was a simple letter. It read, "All thy secrets shall be brought to light on the occasion of Dazai's death."." Dimir replied.

The girl stepped to the side as Chuya, figuring out what the letter meant, threw himself backwards, away from Dazai. He stared in horror at Dazai as Dimir stepped up to his side.

"No way. You..."

"I, an executive member turned traitor, am captured. But the higher-ups have received a letter that basically says, "if Dazai dies, all your dirty little secrets will come out.". If the authorities ever get a hold of these secrets, the mafia executive members will all die a hundred deaths. The threat is serious enough to call for a conference." Dazai said.

"The mafia won't be threatened so easily. You'll die for this. It's an execution for you." Chuya retorted.

"And that is partly why I called in **her**." Dazai said, laying a hand on Dimir's shoulder, drawing Chuya's attention her. "She's a very special member of the Agency."

"Osamu." Dimir warned, turning her eyes to him, but Dazai wouldn't be dissuaded.

"She's an ability user with multiple abilities."

Chuya's eyes, widen in shock and disbelief, turned his eyes to Dimir, who glanced at him with weary eyes. All it took was one look at the girl's expressive face for him to know that Dazai spoke the truth.

"That can't be..." Chuya remarked.

"It is. You can try to execute me, but Dimir is my trump card to be used against the mafia if that happens. But as far as an execution goes...that is to be decided on the executive meeting. Before a decision is made, it is treason to punish me without authorization." Dazai said, Chuya catching on to what he was saying before he said it. "You'll be outlawed, the worst penalty there is."

"That aside...even if I were to disregard everything and kill you, and that girl wouldn't stop me if I wanted to, you'd only rejoice that you finally got to die, right?" Chuya demanded.

"Exactly." Dazai said cheerfully. "Come at me all you want. I'll even have Dimir step off to the side and just watch."

Dimir looked from Dazai to Chuya as the shorter man bristled with annoyance and anger. She could tell, easily, that Dazai knew exactly how to get under Chuya's skin and did so just for the hell of it. How the two had ever been functioning partners, was beyond her. And Dazai just kept egging Chuya on, making him more and more angry by the second.

"C'mon, hurry up." Dazai taunted. "Still. Not. Ready?"

"Osamu." Dimir scolded lowly, trying to get him to stop before Chuya burst a blood vessel or something.

Finally, Chuya threw down his knife, his hands curling into fist. He was trying so hard to hold on to his anger, that his whole body was shaking. Dimir, being the person she was, wanted to comfort him, but she was sure he wouldn't take it so lightly from an enemy.

"What, you quit?" Dazai asked. "'Chuya, hunted by the Mafia because of me". How great would that be!"

"You lil' shit...you mean..." Chuya trailed off as he remembered Dazai said that he had done it **mostly** for Atsushi, meaning that there was another reason. "In other words, your second objective...is to force me into the hardest dilemma ever?"

"Yep." Dazai answered simply, Dimir still looking between the two.

"I didn't come here to spite you...turns out you've been waiting here just so you can spite me?" Chuya asked.

"I haven't seen you in a while, after all. I thought I would give you a little surprise." Dazai told him, grinning brightly.

Chuya fell to hands and knees, completely exhausted by Dazai and his plans. Dimir kind of felt bad for him. While he usually didn't give her a hard time like that, Dimir knew that Dazai could be quite exhausting for those around him. Case in point, poor Kunikida who wanted to pull out his own hair when around Dazai.

"You know, Osamu...I can kinda see why he doesn't like you." Dimir remarked, but Dazai simply smiled at her.

"I'll kill you...I'm definitely gonna kill you..." Chuya muttered, Dimir and Dazai turning to look at him.

"Oh. Before you collapse, there's one more thing to settle." Dazai said. "You're the one who broke the chains. If I run off just like that...won't you be suspected of assisting in my escape?"

If Dimir thought Chuya couldn't get any more annoyed, she was proven wrong. Enemy or not, she really couldn't just sit back and watch this continue.

"Alright, Osamu, that's enough." Dimir told Dazai. "You don't need to continue to rub salt into already open wounds. I really can see why he wants to kill you with the way you treat him."

It surprised Chuya to see her take his side, but Dazai knew that Dimir was a kind soul. She would never begrudge anyone, friend or foe. So he would throw Chuya a bone.

"If you listen to me, I don't mind pretending to be rescued by the Detective Agency in a effort lead by Dimir, here." Dazai told Chuya who got back to his feet.

"Can I trust you about that?" Chuya demanded.

"I never lie when it comes to making deals. I thought you knew that." Dazai teased.

"You bastard..." Chuya grit his teeth.

"Besides...Dimir will keep me honest. She doesn't like liars." Dazai replied.

Dimir gave Chuya a smile when he looked at her. She really didn't like liars and she would make sure to hold Dazai to this after seeing how relentlessly he teased and taunted Chuya. Enemies, or not, Dazai didn't have to rub it in like that.

"What do you want?" Chuya asked.

"I just told you." Dazai replied.

"If it's about the man-tiger, Akutagawa is in charge of that. He should've left some records in the correspondence archive on the second floor." Chuya told him, picking up his jacket.

"Ah, I see. Just as I thought." Dazai said in a matter-of-fact way.

"Osamu." Dimir sighed as Chuya growled.

Chuya turned on his heels, done with the whole situation. He headed for the stairs, throwing his coat over one shoulder.

"Get the hell out of here once you're done." Chuya called over his shoulder, heading for the stairs.

"Thanks. But you got something wrong." Dazai called to him. "Right now, my dream is to commit double suicide with a beauty. Being killed by you is no fun at all. Sorry."

"Ah, I see..." Chuya's eyes went to Dimir as he said this.

Dimir blinked in surprise and begun to shake her head, waving her hands in front of herself.

"I am neither a beauty nor suicidal." she assured him.

Chuya turned his head back towards Dazai and though Dimir knew he was being sarcastic, apparently Dazai didn't hear it. That or he was just playing dumb. The more Dimir thought about it...it was probably the latter more than the former.

"Then go look for a suicidal beauty." Chuya told him.

"Chuya..." Dazai lit up. "Perhaps you're actually a nice person?"

" **I'm asking you to hurry up and die, you idiot!** " Chuya retorted. "I'm warning you in advance, Dazai. Don't think this is over. I won't let you off next time."

"Haven't you forgotten something?" Dazai asked.

The look on Chuya's face was one of mix horror, humiliation, and anger. Especially when he looked down at Dimir who blinked back up at him in questioning. Clenching his fists and fighting with himself, it looked like it was taking all he had not to explode and attack Dazai. Finally, he turned to face Dazai, turning his feet inward and dropping his voice to sound like a girl's.

"There will be no next time!" he declared.

Dazai broke into laughter, only serving to tick off Chuya that much more. He would have actually lost his temper, if Dimir hadn't stepped forward and spoken up then. Stepping up to the steps, she gave him a soft smile, so sweet in appearance that it caught Chuya completely off guard and had him cooling down quickly.

"I know he's a lot to handle, but...thank you. And I'm sorry for the whole threatening to zap you thing." she told him.

"Dimir, come on." Dazai called.

Dimir looked over her shoulder, calling back that she would be there in a second and turned her attention back to Chuya.

"Sorry for his..."

"Personality." Chuya supplied, making her give a laugh.

"Something like that. Thank you, Chuya."

With another smile directed at him, she turned and rejoined Dazai. Chuya watched her go. It was a little difficult to hate someone who was so sweet and smiled so softly despite him being an enemy. Dazai, though, was another case. Chuya glanced towards Dimir one last time, catching Dazai's eyes over her head, the bandage wrapped man smirking at him. Annoyed, Chuya left.

Once he was gone, Dazai pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket, putting them on. He turned to look at Dimir. Between her tuff of white hair and over all appearance, Dimir would stand out like a sore thumb.

First things first...find a way to disguise her until they got out of there.

-0-0-0-0-

"Is this really necessary?"

Dazai, who had been peering around a corner, turned to look at Dimir. Once leaving the room where Dazai had been held, they had managed to find a room where someone had left a hat and a pair of glasses. Both of which, Dazai stuck on Dimir, hiding all of her hair under the hat. It was during his efforts to stick her hair under the hat, that Dazai had made a discovery.

Hidden under the tuff of her white bangs... was a scar.

The scar started somewhere under her hair and spread past the hair line and down her forehead to her eyebrow. Usually, it remained hidden behind her bangs, but now it was on display. Dazai had questioned what the scar was from but Dimir had merely given him a smile and told him that it was a topic to be discussed another time.

Between the scar and the hat and glasses, no one in the mafia would recognize her unless they really paid attention. And that was only if any of them knew her face to begin with. It worked on keeping her from drawing attention nonetheless.

"We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. Now, stay close." Dazai told her, leading the way down the hall.

Dimir followed him, trying her best to appear normal. The few men they passed, they were easily able to fool. Dazai finally got them to the archive room, punching in the code as if it was something he did every day.

"Keep guard." Dazai told her before approaching the shelf. "Well, then...someone willing to spend seven billion yet just to acquire the man-tiger. Who would that be...?"

Dimir stood beside the door, waiting as Dazai flipped through records. Now and then, she would peek out the door, making sure they were alright. When she heard the flipping of pages stop and heard Dazai take in a sharp breath, she turned to him.

"Osamu? What is it?" she asked.

"They are..."

When Dazai trailed off, Dimir took one last look out the door before making her way to his side. Peering over his arm, she looked at the record book in his hand.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"The Guild."

Dimir looked up at Dazai's face, her gut turning when she saw that his usual smile was nowhere to be found. Whoever these Guild people were, it was a serious matter.

Dimir had a bad feeling that things weren't going to be peaceful for much longer.

END

Kyandi: Remember what I said at the beginning of the chapter.

Dimir: You mean about me being unique and odd?

Kyandi: Yeah, that.

Dimir: What about it?

Kyandi: They just need to keep that in mind for the next chapter.

Dimir: Is me being nice really that odd.

Kyandi: Not a lot of people are as carefree as you are.

Dimir: Again, is that bad?

Kyandi: Uhhhh...sometimes?

Dimir: Gee...thanks. I feel so loved.

Kyandi: I know you do. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Dimir: We'll return shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	5. Dimir's Day Out

Kyandi: And we're right back.

Dimir: You had a little too much fun making me seem like a child.

Kyandi: No, I didn't. A lot of people like chocolate as much as you do.

Dimir: You mean you?

Kyandi: Okay, listen here, science has actually proven that chocolate in the morning improves brain function, so leave me alone.

Dimir: Well, yes, a little chocolate...not a whole box.

Kyandi: It wasn't a whole box...I gave a piece to my mom.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama...

Kyandi: Don't "Kyandi-sama" me. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs. Apparently, nor does she own a scale.

Kyandi: Okay, now you're pushing it.

Dimir: You mean like you're pushing your waist band?

Kyandi: Zip it!

Chapter 5 Dimir's Day Out

"What is going on...?"

Atsushi couldn't believe his eyes. When he had arrived at the Agency office, he had been fearing the worst. After all he had gone through with Akutagawa and Kyoya the day before, he had had been expecting everyone at the office to reject Kyoya because of the people the Port Mafia had forced her to kill. Instead, he walked into the office to find his co-workers dressing Kyoya up in cute outfits. The current one was a maid outfit.

"I'm so glad they don't do that to me."

Atsushi, with a start, spun on the spot, heaving a sigh of relief when he found Dimir standing behind him. Today's outfit of choice was a pale blue, cold shoulder dress with a high neck, that fit her like a glove from her collar bones right down to her hips where it suddenly flared out to hang down to just above her knees. Black boots took over from there. She finished the look with her usual sleeveless trench coat and blue biker mitts.

At the moment, she stood in the door way, a bag from a bakery in one hand, a tray of coffee cups in the other, and her eyes focused on her co-workers as they treated Kyoya like a doll.

"Might be best to put a stop to this." Dimir suggested.

Atsushi agreed and, together, they managed to get their co-workers to break up their dress-up party, though Yosano and Naomi wanted to dress Dimir up too. Something the girl insisted they save for another time.

She was already sure that she was going to be in trouble once the Director arrived, as it was.

Once they had Kyoya changed and everyone was sitting down, Atsushi got straight to the point. Dimir took the chance to pass out the baked goods and coffee she had brought with her.

"How did this happen?" he asked.

"Well, she looks good in everything!" Junichiro remarked.

"Dimir would too!" Naomi insisted.

" **No**...That's not the point." Atsushi said, before turning to Kunikida who was the only one who hadn't been dressing Kyoya up.

"Don't give me that look, Atsushi. I've tried to stop them." Kunikida told him, before his eyes caught on Dimir. "As for you...where the hell did you get off to?!"

Dimir threw her hands up in the air as he glared at her. She gave him a sheepish smile as the others focused in on her as well.

"How about we leave that conversation for when the Director gets here. Instead...I brought your favorite tea." Dimir said, finishing a thermos out of the bag hanging from her shoulder. "I made it fresh this morning, myself. It's still warm and I brought fresh made biscuits and cookies, too."

The tea worked in distracting Kunikida...for the moment. With the man distracted, Dimir retreated to her desk, so not to continue drawing attention to herself. Atsushi took the chance to voice a concern of his own.

"Is this okay? She's still a murderer." Atsushi said, referring to Kyoya.

"There could be trouble." Junichiro admitted.

"Tanizaki and everyone here may not have a problem with that, but someone as law-abiding as Ranpo-"

Atsushi was cut off as Ranpo came charging into the office after heading to the store to buy treats for Kyoya. Watching Ranpo as he and Kyoya fawned over a particular piece of candy that Ranpo favored, Atsushi got the impression of two grade school friends sharing their snacks.

"Come to think of it, why is she at the Detective Agency?" Atsushi asked.

"I summoned her."

Atsushi jolted, whipping around to find Fukuzawa behind him, the Director as intimidating as ever. Out of the corner of his eyes, Atsushi caught sight of Dimir sinking in her seat. She knew she was going to be in trouble the moment Fukuzawa focused on her. Which was just a matter of time. For now, he was distracted by Kyoya.

"Sir, that's the girl I reported about yesterday." Kunikida told his boss.

"What is the status of the military police and the city police?" Fukuzawa asked.

"They have split into several teams to investigate, but her identity is still safe due to the mafia's discretion. It is only a matter of time when her name will be officially listed as wanted." Kunikida reported.

"But it would be a different matter with me as you guarantor." Fukuzawa said, turning to look at Kyoya.

Kyoya stood there for a moment, silent before she looked up at Fukuzawa.

"Please allow me to stay here. I will do anything." Kyoya said.

"But...it's not that simple." Atsushi remarked.

"Don't even think about it. It's not because you are ex-mafia, nor is it because we have nothing for you to do." Kunikida told Kyoya, speaking over Atsushi. "Just give up. The world is not so tender."

"He's right. The mafia will find you sooner or later if you stay here. Why don't you hide somewhere further away?" Atsushi asked.

Dimir doubted that hiding would do Kyoya any good if the mafia really wanted her that bad. From what she had seen as she had gone through the building she broke into, she could tell that it was an organization with a very wide reach. Hiding would only prolong the problem and make the end result that much worse. Her best option was to stand her ground and find strong and loyal allies to back her.

"I...can't do anything but kill. That's what he said." Kyoya remarked lowly. "It might be so, but I want to prove him wrong."

Atsushi stared at the determined look on Kyoya's face. Dimir only had to look at his face to tell that he had just had his heart strings tugged. He would vouch for Kyoya now, put himself on the line as well. And he proved it when he bowed to Fukuzawa.

"I also beg of you." Atsushi said.

The look Fukuzawa gave the two was fierce and, if Dimir was being honest, scary. He glared down at the two, Kyoya meeting his eyes and giving him the cutest version of puppy dog eyes Dimir had ever seen. It only took her giving him that look and begging, "Pretty please." before he gave.

"Hired." Fukuzawa said, much to Kunikida's surprise and outrage. "Atsushi, I'm leaving her to you."

Dimir wanted to laugh at the look on Kunikida's face, but Fukuzawa whipped around then, zeroing in on her. It took all she had not to sink under her desk with a scared little "Epp!". She knew he was angry, or at least displeased, when he looked at her.

"Dimir...come here." he demanded.

Yep, she was dead.

Getting to her feet, fearing he would fire her and throw her back out on the streets, she approached him. Scared she might be, but she squared her shoulders and refused to cower under his gaze. When she stood before him, looking up at him, she watched as his mouth thinned as he pressed his lips together in disappointment.

And, to her surprise, that stung.

"You were given orders not to leave the office alone and yet you did." he said.

"Yes, sir, I did." she confirmed.

"You disobeyed me."

"Yes, sir, I did."

"Why?" he asked.

Well, if she was going to get in trouble because of him, then she was going to rat out Dazai. If he couldn't bother to show up to work and explain what had happened, then she was going to have to do it herself. After all, she couldn't withhold the information. It would only make Fukuzawa angrier with her. Something she really didn't need at that moment.

"I received a message from Osamu, telling me that he had been captured by the Port Mafia and listing an address. Between Ao's shield being able to turn me invisible for a short time and Pinku's ability to put others to sleep, he figured I had the best chance of sneaking into a Port Mafia building to rescue him. So I went." Dimir admitted.

" **You did what?!** " Kunikida yelled, his teeth grinding as his anger got the best of him.

"Were you successful?" Fukuzawa asked, holding up a hand to cut off anything else Kunikida could have yelled at her.

"I was. Osamu is home, safe and sound. But...but there's a problem, sir." Dimir admitted.

"A problem?" Fukuzawa asked.

Here, Dimir hung her head, bowing deeply to him in repentance, though, really, the problem was thanks to Dazai's big mouth.

"I'm so sorry, sir, but...a Port Mafia executive now knows I have multiple abilities."

Silence fell over the room as everyone stared at Dimir in horror. If the mafia knew she had more than one ability at her disposal, it could spell out the beginning of a war between the two organizations just to see who would end up with Dimir on their side in the end. It was a war that, given the recent clash between members of the two organizations, could be disastrous for everyone involved. It was definitely not something they could afford at that moment.

Fukuzawa stared down at the back of Dimir's head as she refused to straighten up from her position. Something didn't exactly click here. He knew Dimir was good at guarding her secret and that she would never be so reckless with the information. There was something else to this.

"Did you show them more than one ability?" Fukuzawa asked her.

"...No, sir." she replied.

If she didn't show them that she had more than one ability then they could only have the information if she, or someone who knew, had told them.

"Did you tell them?" he asked.

"...No, sir."

If she didn't tell them...that only left one option and if he was right then Dazai was in for one hell of a punishment when he finally came back into the office because, regardless of his strategic reasons why, he had put Dimir in danger.

"Dimir...did Dazai tell them?" Fukuzawa asked.

Silence.

Dimir didn't raise her head, but she didn't answer either. She wouldn't lie to him and tell him no, but, despite her really wanting to rat him out, Dimir couldn't make herself confirm that it had been Dazai. She might have a spiteful thought now and then, but she wasn't a spiteful person. That being said, her silence was answer enough.

Kunikida cursed Dazai while the others shared looks. All of them knew that Dazai had to have a reason because, for all his foolishness and supposed idiocy, the man never did anything like that without a reason behind it. It didn't excuse the danger he had now put Dimir in, though, they were sure the girl wouldn't be angry at him, one bit, even if danger came knocking on her door.

"I'm so sorry, Director." Dimir added. "I was only trying to help a co-worker and friend."

Fukuzawa knew that, while she had disobeyed his orders, he couldn't really be too angry at her. She had only been trying to help a person in need, not realizing that she had become another chess piece in Dazai's ever-continuing game. She would, of course, get a stern lecture, but, for now, they needed to focus on what precautions they could take to assure she would be alright.

Heaving a sigh, Fukuzawa laid a hand on top of Dimir's head, giving it a pat.

"I'll lecture you later. For now, we have to concern ourselves with precautions. It would not be as easy to get someone like you back as it was to get Atsushi and Dazai back." Fukuzawa remarked.

If he knew the Port Mafia boss like he thought he did, then he knew the man would never let go of someone like Dimir once he got his hands on her. They needed to nip it in the bud while they could.

"If that idiot really did tell them, then she can't continue to stay with a non-ability user member of the Agency. It would put the both of them in danger." Kunikida reasoned.

At this, Dimir raised her head, her wide eyes landing on Kunikida. Part of her really didn't want to leave Haruno's apartment. She liked living with the woman and her cat and it really felt like home. On the other hand, she really didn't want to put Haruno in any danger because of her. They could tell her concern for her friend just from the panicked look on Dimir's face. Fukuzawa, his hand still on Dimir's head, gave her head another pat.

"Do not worry, Dimir. We will handle this." Fukuzawa told her before turning to head for his office, calling for Haruno.

Dimir watched him disappear into the office before she deflated, sinking onto a nearby couch. The girl looked like a puppy denied their favorite chew toy, almost. Naomi claimed the seat next to her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be alright, Dimir. The Director will handle this, you'll see." Naomi told her.

Dimir heaved a sigh, giving Ranpo a smile when he offered her some of his candy, giving her a peppermint flavored lollipop. She thanked him, taking the treat so not to seem rude. Even as she stuck the treat in her mouth, she heaved a sigh. Sinking back into the couch, she rolled the lollipop around in her mouth.

She really hoped Fukuzawa could handle it. While she didn't like the idea of moving out of Haruno's apartment when it had become the closest thing to a home she'd had in years, if it meant Haruno would be safer, then that was what she would do.

She just hoped it was all unnecessary.

-0-0-0-0-

"Damn him!"

Another day, another morning of Nakahara Chuya being angry because of Dazai's continued annoyance in his life. Since his escape and the information he had shared with him, Chuya had debated with himself on whether or not to tell his boss about the girl Dazai had called to his rescue.

Nabokov Dimir.

Chuya paused in his stomping down the sidewalk as the girl was brought to the forefront of his mind. His mind instantly called forth the sweet, no-grudges-held smile the girl had given him as she thanked him for walking away from killing Dazai.

It was like the girl didn't even know how to hate another person.

Chuya knew he should tell his boss about Dimir. Someone with access to multiple abilities was a dangerous person indeed. One the Port Mafia could benefit from having on their side. That being said, he knew that Mori would call an attack on the Agency just to get his hands on Dimir if he knew what the girl was capable of.

Chuya was sure Dimir would lose her smile if that happened.

Catching himself thinking that, Chuya gave his head a shake. That shouldn't matter to him. All that should matter was the benefit of the mafia. That, and only that. Nothing else. Especially not the happiness of some girl that worked for the Armed Detective Agency.

Grumbling to himself, Chuya continued down the sidewalk, pulling his phone out to check the time. Technically, he had a day off, though he could still be called in to work if something came up. It was nearing lunch and he was starting to get hungry. Maybe it was time to stop thinking about Dimir and Dazai and find himself something to eat. He looked up, searching the shops lining the street, in search of food.

Just then, as if summoned by the mere thought of her name, his eyes found Dimir.

The girl, dressed in a ruffled, black skirt, a halter top the same color as his hair, black stockings, and grey ankle boots, was standing in front of a shop, peering into the window. There was a smile on her face as she scanned the window, the girl clearly being amused by something on the other side.

Curious, Chuya stuffed his hands into his pockets and approached her. He found her peering into a pet store, watching a couple of puppies on display as they play fought over a bone-shaped, chew toy. When his shadow fell over the window, Dimir turned, looking up at him.

It baffled him when she instantly smiled at the sight of him.

"Oh! Good morning, Chuya." she greeted brightly. "Or should it be "good afternoon" by now?"

Chuya frowned, wondering what was wrong with this girl. Usually, if a member of the Port Mafia and a member of the Armed Detective Agency met each other out in the city, it almost always ended in a fight of some kind. Dimir wasn't hostile in the least.

"You're frowning. What's wrong?" Dimir asked, blinking in confusion as she leaned forward to peer up at his face.

"You are aware that we're enemies and, yet, you just acted like I was an old friend." he retorted.

For a moment, she merely blinked at him. Then a bright smile lit her face and she let out a truly amused, chiming laugh. Grinning, she gave her head a shake, as if she was laughing at him being ridiculous when he was being serious.

"Enemies?! But you've done nothing to me, nor I to you! How does that make us enemies?" she asked.

"We're from opposite sides! You're Armed Detective Agency and I'm Port Mafia!" he barked back.

"And?"

Chuya stared at her, eyes wide and expression alight with disbelief. She said that one word as if she truly couldn't see his point in the conversation. Seeing his look, she grinned, eyes shining brightly. Raising a hand, she hid her smile and a small laugh behind it.

"Life is life, Chuya. It makes no difference if that life is Armed Detective Agency, Military Police, politician, civilian, or Port Mafia. I'm not going to begrudge a person simply because of their way of life." she told him simply, turning and walking off down the street.

Intrigued and still very confused about the girl, Chuya followed her, falling into step beside her. Dimir strolled along, hands clasped behind her back while she smiled at those who passed them.

"You're strange." Chuya told her.

"You think?" she asked, waving to a mother and her child as they passed.

"Yeah."

"Well, I suppose it's in how you want to look at it."

Chuya turned his eyes to her face. She was still smiling happily, clearly not the least bit offended by what he said. He was starting to wonder if there was anything he could say to offend her. Probably not, but that was what made her interesting. It was also, he realized, the reason behind how she was able to deal with Dazai without ever batting an eyelash.

When he didn't say anything in response, she turned to look up at him, grinning when she found him staring at her with open confusion and befuddlement. She found it funny to see him looking at her that way.

"Let me guess...you've never met someone with my mind set, have you?" she asked.

"No." he retorted.

"That's alright. I guess I'm really not like a lot of other people. I don't like to judge others until I've gotten to know them myself, and I don't like to look at hardships as something completely bad." Dimir told him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, while it is true when people say that first impressions are the strongest, they are most often wrong. No one can fully grasp another person's personality in just one meeting. Because of that, I don't like listening to the opinions others have of people I've never met before. Take what Osamu told me of you after we parted ways. You don't seem like a "horrible, arrogant, yapping chihuahua with an inferiority complex" to me." Dimir replied.

Chuya turned to her, one eye twitching as she quoted what Dazai had said to her after they had escaped from the Port Mafia building. Dimir just smiled back at him as he fought not to lose his temper. After all, she hadn't been the one to call him that, but rather Dazai.

"I'm gonna kill him..." Chuya muttered lowly.

"Osamu's opinions aside, the statement, itself, was a bit of a contradiction. I don't see how someone can be arrogant and have an inferiority complex, at the same time." Dimir continued. "But my point is...you don't seem so horrible to me. If I had listened to him, I would have ended up judging you all wrong."

Chuya's temper cooled as she talked, but he was still annoyed with Dazai. If Dazai had said that to Dimir, he'd hate to hear what he had said to everyone else he had come in contact with.

"Thanks?" he said, posing it as a question. "And what did you mean by the hardships part?"

"There's a quote I once heard, that goes like this, "Some people-and I am one of them-hate happy ends. We feel cheated. Harm is the norm. Doom should not jam. The avalanche stopping in its tracks a few feet above the cowering village behaves not only unnaturally but unethically.". Simply put, life isn't real if there's no bad moments. It's human nature to face adversity. Sure, I might end up facing more of it in my life than a normal person, but I choose to have the good grace to accept it as the life lesson it is."

"So...you think bad situations are a good thing?" he asked, confused.

"No. I think learning from those bad situations, is a good thing. What kind of life can you live if you're always letting bad things stop you in your tracks?" Dimir asked him before something caught her eyes.

Grinning, she sped up and hurried off ahead of him, towards a stall where a man was running a small raffle. Chuya followed her, catching up to her as she scanned the banner displaying the possible winnings from the raffle. The top prize was a box of expensive and luxurious, foreign chocolates.

"You, young lady, would you like to try your luck?" the man asked.

"Sure!" Dimir replied.

Chuya stood back, watching as Dimir happily paid for a ticket in order to give the raffle a spin. Personally, he didn't get these things. Nine times out of ten, no one won. Dimir, though, seemed more than happy to give her luck a try. He stood off to the side, hands on his hips, watching her as she gave the wheel a spin.

To her disappointment, she didn't win anything except a box of tissues that everyone got when they didn't win, but her disappointment didn't stay long as she turned to look at Chuya.

"You should try too." she told him.

"Why? It's a waste of time." he told her.

"Humor me. Maybe your luck is better than mine. Let's see." she told him, smiling at him.

Grumbling to himself, he stepped forward to give it a try. Dimir leaned around him, watching him as he gave the wheel a spin, lowly asking himself why he was doing this. The marble that came bouncing out of the wheel when it stopped, to Chuya's surprise, was the winning marble.

"Congratulations, sir! You've won our top prize!" the man told Chuya, handing over the ten pound box of chocolates.

Chuya stared down at the box, unsure what to do with it. He wasn't much of a sweets person, to be honest. He had only done the raffle to, as she put it, humor Dimir and hadn't expected to actually win. Turning, he found Dimir right beside him, staring at the box of chocolates with an intense gaze.

"What?" he asked.

"That's a really expensive brand of chocolates. A box that big would cost a lot. Especially if it's an import. And I've heard that it taste really good." Dimir remarked.

"Is it?" Chuya asked.

He didn't really know anything about candy or it's brands. Dimir, on the other hand, seemed to be completely transfixed by the candy. He could practically see the desire to have the chocolate, in her eyes. He had no doubt that she wanted the chocolate. Had him wondering what she would do if he gave her the chocolates. After all, he had no use for them.

"Here, you have them." he said, holding the box out to her.

In that instant, Dimir's face lit up with the brightest expression he had seen yet. She took the box with a big smile, planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, and danced away from him with the box cradled in her arms.

"Thank you!" she cheered.

Chuya didn't even know where to start. He could start with the fact that she seemed to be just a little bit too over joyed about a mere box of chocolates, or he could just jump right to the fact that she **kissed him!** Chaste kiss on the cheek or not, it was still a kiss.

He decided to go with the one that would make him seem less like a befuddled, little boy getting his first kiss.

"You don't have to be so happy. It's just chocolate." he told her as he followed after her.

"Maybe so, but after being homeless the majority of my life and unable to even afford food half the time, chocolate is like the highest quality luxury for me. I wasn't able to eat it even once when I was living on the streets." she told him.

Chuya paused for a moment, his eyes turning back to her face as she happily read the box to see what kinds of chocolates were inside. So...she had lived on the street most of her life. He was sure that meant that she was an orphan, but it wasn't something he could really just come out and ask her.

"Now that the Agency has taken me in, I try to eat it as often as I can. You know, you should never take the little things for granted." Dimir added, pulling his attention back to their conversation. "Anyway, in exchange for the chocolates, let's go for lunch. My treat."

The talk of food had his stomach growling, Dimir grinning when she could actually hear it.

"You might regret that offer." he told her.

"Oh, please. You can't possibly eat more than Atsushi." Dimir retorted.

"The man-tiger?"

"Yeah. I swear, no matter how much he eats, it's like that boy's stomach is always forever empty. It takes forty bowls of tea on rice to even come close to filling him up for a short while. Besides...I'm good at saving my money. I think my wallet can handle whatever appetite you might have." Dimir told him.

And that was how Chuya found himself sitting across the table from the Armed Detective Agency's second newest member. He had to admit, Dimir wasn't like what he was expecting. She was far more relaxed and accepting than her co-workers and it didn't bother her, in the least, to be seen in public with him. In fact, she took him to one of her favorite restaurants, the staff greeting her as if they saw her every day. She greeted them all in return, a smile on her face.

Though the staff gave him weary looks, as if they knew who he was, they didn't say anything, not wanting to upset a perfectly happy Dimir. Chuya turned his eyes from the staff to Dimir as she scanned a menu, the box of chocolates sitting on the bench beside her.

"Let me guess, you come here often." he remarked.

"Almost every day, if I can. Mostly for lunch, though. My roommate and I cook dinner and breakfast together." Dimir replied.

"Your roommate not going to miss you tonight?" Chuya asked.

"I texted her to let her know that I was going to grab dinner out since I was out on errands." Dimir replied before sitting her menu down. "I do have a question for you, though."

"What?" Chuya asked, instantly suspicious.

"Why haven't you told your boss about me having more than one ability?"

Chuya looked up at her in surprise. Her expression was serious, the smile gone. He didn't remember saying anything even closely regarding that.

"What makes you think I haven't?" he asked.

"Oh, Chuya..." Dimir gave him a smile. "If you had, I would have been snatched off the streets at least once of the four times I've passed Mafia members today."

Chuya blinked at her as she grinned back at him. She had based her guess on the fact that none of the four mafia members she passed, tried to make a grab at her. Did she really have that much faith in the goodness of men? It baffled him, meeting someone like her, but, at the same time, he felt a little bit...impressed with her. She was strange, but she apparently had a good heart.

And a naively trusting one.

Chuya looked away from her smile, refusing to look her in the eyes. How could he look her in the eyes at the moment? It was just too embarrassing.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he insisted.

Dimir let out a single, low laugh, but she didn't press the matter. She didn't see Chuya as being the type to take teasing or pressing very lightly. Instead, she ordered her food and let him do the same. They ate in silence, Chuya glancing up, now and then, to watch her. After Dimir paid for the meal, they parted ways at the door.

"Goodbye, Chuya. Thank you for my chocolates and be safe getting back!" she called to him, waving when he turned to look at her.

Chuya watched as she gave him one last wave, turned and took off down the street, her hair trailing behind her as she wove her way through people on the sidewalk. Chuya didn't really know what to think of Dimir, but he did know one thing.

She was one weird person.

END

Kyandi: And that's why I said you're odd.

Dimir: Is it really so odd to give people a chance?

Kyandi: Normally, no, but you take it to a new extreme.

Dimir: I wonder why that is...

Kyandi: Because I made you that way?

Dimir: Ding, ding, we have a winner.

Kyandi: It can be...endearing. I just thought I would warn them that you're a little odd and that's why you were so comfortable with Chuya.

Dimir: I would rather be odd then wrongly judge someone.

Kyandi: That's my girl. Anyway, I need sleep, so everyone enjoy and review.

Dimir: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	6. Pediophobia

Kyandi: We're back everyone!

Dimir: And come baring the gift of two chapters.

Kyandi: I would of had these up sooner, but my internet was being weird.

Dimir: The price to pay for living in the country side.

Kyandi: Yeah, yeah. Give me a year. I won't be living here then.

Dimir: We'll see.

Kyandi: Yes, we will. Anyone, let's get to this. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.

Chapter 6 Pediophobia

" **Why didn't I know we'll be living together?!** "

Dimir, who had just made her way into the office, looked up from where she was sitting her bag down at her desk. Atsushi, looking extremely flustered, was panting and glaring at Dazai, Kyoka standing at his side.

"We don't have enough room." Dazai replied matter-of-factly.

Dimir, a little confused on what was going on, turned to the nearest person to her, which was Kenji. Taking a seat in her chair, she asked him what was going on. Kenji explained to her that, due to the lack of company dorm rooms, Atsushi and Kyoka, as the two newest members, were being made to share an apartment.

"Not to mention, this arrangement can save you two newbies some expenses since you can split the rent." Dazai told Atsushi.

"But...why not make her room with Dimir, then?! At least then it would be two girls." Atsushi pointed out.

"I don't live in the company dorms." Dimir remarked, turning to the paperwork that had been left on her desk.

Atsushi deflated at this. It was easy to tell that he had been hoping to get Dimir to take Kyoka in.

"She has agreed to it, right?" Dazai said, looking at Kyoka.

"Since it was an order." Kyoka replied.

The look Atsushi gave the girl was put out, at the best. He obviously didn't agree with the girl's willingness to obey such an order. Not that Dimir could blame him.

"You still don't get it, Atsushi:?" Dazai pulled Atsushi to the side, where Kyoka couldn't hear them. Dimir, whose desk was close, could though. "She is currently on the run from the mafia and has no one to rely on. She's drowning in loneliness. And the mafia will most probably send assassins after her to get rid of this traitor. It's too dangerous to let her live alone."

"You...you have a point." Atsushi replied, glancing at a confused Kyoka.

"Then it's your duty to watch over her. It's a very important job!" Dazai told him.

"I see! I'll do my best!" Atsushi declared, completely being sucked into Dazai's words.

A sigh, followed by the sound of keys clicking on a keyboard, had Atsushi turning to Dimir as she started entering information into the computer from the papers left on her desk. The girl was shaking her head, her eyes fixed on the papers.

"You poor, gullible fool." she remarked.

Before Atsushi could question Dimir on what she meant by that, Kunikida turned to Dazai. Waving a handful of papers in the air, Kunikida started in on Dazai.

"Hey, Dazai, hurry up and submit a report recounting your incarceration by the mafia." Kunikida demanded.

"I hava a brilliant idea! Kunikida, let's decide who'll write it through a game of paper, scissors, stone!" Dazai exclaimed.

"Write it yourself." Kunikida retorted darkly. "You're already in trouble for divulging Dimir's secret."

Instead of replying, and therefore denying or confirming the fact that he had given away her secret, Dazai turned to Atsushi.

"Atsushi, I've been thinking...now's probably the time to teach you how to write a report." Dazai said.

"At a time like this?" Atsushi replied.

"This also has something to do with you. It's some insider information regarding the bounty on your head." Dazai said, holding a piece of paper between two fingers.

"Do we know who's behind it?!" Atsushi demanded.

"According to the mafia's communication logs...their benefactor is the leader of an ability user corporation based in North America known as "The Guild"." Dazai told him.

"The Guild?" Dimir repeated, looking up from her work.

"Do they really exist? The Guild is practically an urban legend." Kunikida remarked. "According to hearsay, their members all appear to be important figures in the financial sector and the military, but in actuality, they are all ability users in possession of a huge amount of capital. It's a secret organization that has a hand in various conspiracies...they're almost like the villains in a third-rate novel."

"Oh, they're real, alright."

All eyes turned to Dimir as she finished typing in her last paper and collected the papers to put them away. When she looked up, she found them all staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"How do you know this?" Kunikida demanded.

"I lived on the streets, Mr. Doppo. You hear and see a lot when you're always lurking in the shadows. Not to mention, my mother use to work for a...big organization. I overheard her talking to my grandmother about work, quite a lot." Dimir replied.

"That aside, why would these people go after Atsushi?" Kunikida asked.

"That, I couldn't say." Dimir said with a sigh.

"I suppose we'll have to ask them directly, though meeting them is easier said than done, still...if we can catch them unaware..."

Dimir jumped in her seat and spun around when the door to the office flew open and Junichirou burst into the room, yelling something about bad news. That was closely followed by what Dimir was sure was the sound of a helicopter. Dimir, like most of her co-workers, instantly went to the windows. Sure enough, a helicopter landed right outside their building, a man in a fancy suit, stepping off. He was closely followed by a man and a teenage girl.

"Something tells me that it might just be easier done than said this time, Osamu." Dimir remarked.

"You're right. They've beaten us to it." Dazai agreed.

"Dimir! Come help me with tea!" Naomi called.

Dimir took one last look down at the man as he glanced up at the windows before hurrying to help Naomi. While she helped with tea, the man, and his two companions, were shown inside the Director's office.

"I'm very, very pleased to meet you." he said. "President Fukuna...Fukuda..."

"Fukuzawa." Fukuzawa corrected.

"Yes, that. Come to think of it, I probably shouldn't have left my helicopter by the road, should I? But I'm not really to blame, since this is the first time I've visited a company with no helipad." the man said.

"You have traveled from afar, honored guests from overseas, you must be exhausted. How may we be of service?" Fukuzawa asked.

Naomi laid a teacup before him, then, Dimir setting one before Fukuzawa, who thanked her with a nod. Picking up the teacup, the foreign man examined it.

"Oooh, what a rare design, and here I thought I was pretty knowledgeable regarding chinaware. What brand is this? Royal Franco? Or is it El Zelga?" he asked.

"It's from the Shimomura Ceramic store next door." Naomi replied.

"How churlish of me."

Naomi ignored this, turning to leave the room. Dimir moved to follow her, but Fukuzawa raised a hand, giving her a silent sign to stay put. Stepping back to stand just to the right hand side of his chair, Dimir tucked her tray under one arm and waited. The man then turned his attention back to Fukuzawa while Dimir silently studied his companions. Silently, the man sat a business card down on the table.

"The name is Fitzgerald. I'm from an American organization known as The Guild. Apart from that, I have three conglomerates and five hotels under my name, as well as an airline and a railway compa-"

"Mr. Fitzgerald." Fukuzawa started, cutting Fitzgerald off. "Rumor has it that you coerced the mafia into attacking us by offering a bounty. Was that true?"

"Ah! That was just a miscalculation on my part, old sport!" Fitzgerald said happily.

Dimir raised an eyebrow, looking down at Fukuzawa. She hadn't expected them to work too hard to hide the truth, but she also hadn't expected Fitzgerald to come right on out and admit to it.

"I never expected the criminal organization of this country to be so incompetent! As an apology, I have come with a wonderful business proposal." Fitzgerald said, giving a snap of his fingers.

The male out of his companions, stepped forward, dropping a heavy, thick suitcase on the table. Dimir dived forward, saving their teapot before it could be knocked over or broken. Giving the man with the suitcase a pointed look, she carefully sat the teapot back down.

"This agency is pretty nice. The low ceiling is a bit of a bother, but the street view is excellent." Fitzgerald said, sitting his teacup down and leaning forward to pop open the suitcase.

Inside, bundled and packed neatly, was stack after stack of money. Dimir had never seen so much money in her life.

"I would like to acquire this agency." Fitzgerald said. "Please don't misunderstand. I could buy every piece of land and all the companies within sight if I wanted. I have no interest in the building or the staff of this company. There's only one thing I want."

"You mean..."

"The Agency's Ability Business Permit." Dimir said, finishing Fukuzawa's sentence.

"That's right. Hand over your Ability Business Permit." Fitzgerald confirmed. "If an ability user corporation wants to start a legal business in this country, it must acquire a permit issues by the Special Ability Department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. But the stubborn mules at the Special Department refused any sort of bribe. After all, they're a nonexistent organization to the general public. So, if I want to browse around this city without getting on their wrong side, I'll need that permit-"

"I refuse." Fukuzawa said, cutting Fitzgerald off.

"Are you sure? At least take this watch. It's a limited edition especially embellished with diamonds-"

"Exactly what do you think the Director, a traditional Japanese man, would do with that? A normal, one hundred yen watch would do just as well." Dimir remarked. "Besides, I think you might be mistaken about something."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Fitzgerald asked.

"Just as life cannot be bought with money, the permit cannot be exchanged for anything else. It is the very soul of this agency, filled with the Special Department's expectations, as well as the aspirations of Natsume-sensei, who worked tirelessly to acquire this permit. It is not something that can be touched by rich snobs whose head is stuffed with money." Fukuzawa told him.

If Dimir had to put a word to the looks on both men's faces, she would use the word, "intense". Or "scary". Both seemed to fit.

"'Cannot be bought with money', huh? That's poor people's favorite line. Boast all you want, but if every single staff member disappears, this agency no longer exists. Even if you change your mind, it'll be too late by then." Fitzgerald threatened.

He was...threatening her friends.

Dimir's mind zeroed in on that fact and that fact alone. Her whole body tensed as every protective instinct in her roared at her to act before anything could happen. Fukuzawa and Fitzgerald were snapped out of their glaring when all the lights in the room begun to flicker, growing dim as if all the electrical power in the building was being drained.

Fukuzawa instantly turned his gaze to Dimir who was staring at Fitzgerald, her eyes narrowing while her hands twisted into fists at her side. With every flicker of the lights, he could see the small ripples of electricity that would travel up her arms. He knew that the flickering lights were a sign that Dimir wasn't taking the threat to her friends very well.

"Dimir."

Fukuzawa held out his teacup, the action and his stern voice, snapping her out of staring, drawing her attention to him. The moment her attention shifted, the lights returned to normal.

"Sir?" she asked.

"More tea, if you will."

"O-oh...right."

Dimir instantly picked up the teapot, turning her full attention to pouring him another cup. It only took one look from Fukuzawa for her to get the message. She needed to calm down and keep a good grip on herself. She filled his cup, and set the teapot back down, Fitzgerald now watching her with a look of intrigue. Once she stepped back, Fukuzawa spoke.

"I shall bear your advice in mind. Have a safe trip." he said, dismissing Fitzgerald and his companions.

Fitzgerald got to his feet as Dimir called Kenji to come and escort the three out of the office.

"Till the next time. I'll leave you a message in tomorrow's morning papers. You'd better read it carefully, old sport. If it's what I want, it is what I'll get." Fitzgerald told him.

Dimir and Fukuzawa watched as the three left the room, Dimir already feeling a little concerned about her more ordinary co-workers who didn't have abilities to help protect themselves.

"Dimir."

"I know, sir. I'm sorry." Dimir apologized.

Fukuzawa glanced in her direction. Dimir was gripping at the front of her clothes with a tight grip, her expression showing just how concerned she was growing for her co-workers. Letting her dwell on her concern wouldn't help them. For the moment, they needed to just prepare for the worst and keep an eye out. That meant keeping Dimir busy.

"Make some more tea, will you?" he requested.

"Right away."

Fukuzawa watched as Dimir took hold of the teapot and hurried away. He was well aware that The Guild was not a group of people they should take lightly and it seemed that Dimir had picked up on that as well. While he would have liked to assure her that everything was going to be just fine, they would have to see what the morning news brought them.

And hope that it wasn't an obituary.

-0-0-0-0-

The next morning didn't bring an obituary, but the news was so big that it even ended up on morning news channel. Dimir stood beside Dazai as they watched the news.

" _We're at the crime scene! Let's take a look...A seven-story building vanished without a trace in just a night! According to certain sources, the Port Mafia's front company is based within the vanished building. Other sources claim that said company was being used as an office by members of the Mafia. The city police suspects this to be an attack perpetuated by an enemy syndicate, requesting help from the Military Police._ " the reporter was saying on the screen.

"Is this the message?" Kunikida mused.

"Kenji can't be found anywhere in the dorms." Junichirou reported.

"I really don't like the sound of this." Dimir said.

"The uncooperative Detective Agency and the mafia are no longer of use...so he's gonna destroy us both?" Dazai mused.

"Well, he's off to a pretty good start." Dimir remarked.

"Tanizaki! Starting from now, don't go anywhere unaccompanied. Pair up with Atsushi and Dimir and search for Kenji. Dazai and I have a meeting with the director in the conference room. If you run into an enemy, don't fight. Just run! That goes double for you, Dimir!" Kunikida ordered before turning and walking away.

"You know, I'd ask "why me", but I know why me." Dimir remarked as she and Junichirou went in search of Atsushi.

In the end, Naomi ended up going with them, refusing to stay behind while her brother went out searching for their missing co-worker. Something that really displeased her brother.

"This is the first time I've seen the Detective Agency so tense." Naomi remarked as they walked down the sidewalk.

"Naomi, you really should head back to the agency." Junichirou said, turning to look at his sister.

"No! I want to help with the search! I don't want to leave onii-sama at a time like this!" Naomi argued.

"It's too dangerous!" Junichirou snapped.

Dimir and Atsushi stood off to the side, watching the two siblings as they argued. Dimir could have just told Junichirou, right from the beginning, that he was better off talking to a brick wall, but she doubted he would listen to her.

"It's hardly more dangerous than staying at the agency. Even a whole building can be gone just like that! Right, Atsushi? Dimir?" Naomi asked, turning to the two.

"Eh?! W-well-"

"Atsushi, unlike you and Dimir, she has no ability. She'll only get in the way." Junichirou said tartly, cutting off Atsushi.

"What do you mean, onii-sama?! I thought you said you'd always listen to me!" Naomi retorted.

"La-last night, you made me...!"

When Junichirou suddenly cut off, Atsushi and Dimir looked at him. His face went red before he buried his face in the too long sleeves of his shirt, Naomi grinning like the cat that got the canary.

"I'd ask what you two were up to, but I have a feeling I really don't want to know." Dimir remarked, looking from one Tanizaki to the other.

"...It's nothing." Junichirou insisted before turning away from them to start across the crosswalk. "A-anyway! Assistants should just go back to the office!"

Dimir and Atsushi followed him, Naomi bringing up the rear.

"My, my. Would you like me to remind you of your request yesterday?" Naomi asked.

"I think we can do without th...where's Naomi?"

Dimir trailed off, asking that when she turned to find that Naomi was no longer behind her. Atsushi and Junichirou whipped around. In that moment, there was a moment of pause and silence before Junichirou flipped, shoving his way back through the crowd while calling his sister's name.

"It's them! How's that possible? I didn't sense anything!" Junichirou yelled.

"The enemy is close by...! It's dangerous, Tanizaki!" Atsushi called as he and Dimir hurried after him.

"Junichirou! You have to be cautious!" Dimir called, but he wasn't listening to either of them.

"Where are you?! Dammit! Give me back Naomi!" Junichirou yelled, running through the crowd.

In his haste to find his sister, Junichirou shoved aside a man who was in the process of looking for someone as well. Atsushi stopped to check on him while Dimir continued to follow Junichirou so he wouldn't get separated from them. She was just about to catch up to him when he spotted the girl that had come to the office the day before with Fitzgerald. Racing after her, he reached out to grab her shoulder. Dimir only had time to turn, but somewhere in the middle of that turn, the space around her completely changed into that of a playroom filled with toys.

"What the...?"

Dimir looked around. All around her, confused and scared people stood, wondering what had happened. Behind her, Atsushi was still knelt beside the man Junichirou had shoved.

"Welcome to Anne's Room."

Dimir turned towards the voice, finding the Guild girl. It clicked in Dimir's head, instantly, that this whole thing had been a trap. They had been waiting for them!

"My, my...how awkward to have so many people staring at me. I'm not good at talking to strangers, but no. I owe everyone a proper explanation. Everyone must be confused...so very confused. After all, you've been brought to this strange place all of a sudden. If it had been me, my heart would have jumped right out." the girl said.

"Where is Naomi?" Junichirou demanded.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I should've explained this first. Gentlemen, and lady, from the Detective Agency, this way." the girl replied, gesturing to a door behind her.

One look inside showed them not only Naomi, but Kenji too. And about two dozen other people who had probably been plucked from other locations in the city.

"Kenji! Naomi!" Junichirou yelled, running to the door to try to open it with no success.

"You can't open the door without the key. You can only open that."

This time, the girl pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room. Dimir peered out the window finding the outside world, but everything was frozen in place.

"Everything outside...has frozen." Atsushi exclaimed.

"My name is Montgomery. This is a space I've created using my ability. But don't worry. Anyone can pass through that door. If you don't want to save your companions, that is." the girl, Lucy Montgomery as she introduced herself, said.

"What the hell do you want?" Junichirou asked.

"Simple. Please play with the Anne in this room. Come here, Anne." Lucy called.

The thing that appeared behind Lucy was, in Dimir's opinion, a demented version of a rag doll she use to own when she had been a little girl. The way this thing looked, was enough to give a girl nightmares. Especially since Dimir had an irrational fear of dolls.

"Gods help me, I'm going to be having nightmares for weeks." Dimir muttered, looking up at the thing Lucy called Anne.

"Anne loves playing. She might be a bit spoiled, but she is quite adorable!" Lucy said.

One look at Anne sent everyone around Dimir and her comrades, running for the door to the outside world. Dimir would have liked to run away from Anne too, but she couldn't leave her friends behind like that.

"Ah! But once you've walked through that door, you'll forget everything in this room. Is that okay?" Lucy called after them.

Not that any of them were listening. In the end, only Dimir, her comrades, and the man Junichirou had pushed, remained.

"Only four left?" Lucy asked, looking at them.

"It's very dangerous here. You should run." Atsushi told the man.

A man that Dimir recognized as the man she had saved when Akutagawa had been chasing her. Dimir knelled next to him.

"I know you. I had to get you and a little girl out of the way when a mafia member was chasing me." Dimir said.

"Uh, yes! I remember you too." he told her.

"Sir, my colleague is correct. You really should run." Dimir told him.

"I'm looking for a girl. The girl that was with me that day. A child as lovely as an angel. Have either of you seen her?" he asked, showing a picture of the child to Atsushi.

"No...I'm sorry." Atsushi told him.

"Her name is Elise. She's so cute, it wouldn't hurt a bit even if she got into my eye! Ah, but it might hurt if she really did...Anyway, I'm absolutely freaking out because I got separated from her." the man cried.

"She's probably right behind that door." Atsushi said, looking towards the locked door.

"If that's true, then I'd never forgive myself if I ran away now. So I'm staying, too." the man told them.

"I understand." Atsushi told him.

"Just stay back for the time being, sir." Dimir told him before raising to her feet.

"The rules are simple! Play hide-and-seek with lovely Anne. If she catches you, you lose." Lucy explained, a key appearing before Junichirou and Atsushi. "If you can open the door with that key before getting caught, you win. And the hostages will be safely returned. Now then...who's in?" Lucy asked.

Dimir stepped up to Junichirou's left, Atsushi to his right. The three shared a look, all three agreeing silently.

"Can there be three players at the same time?" Junichirou asked.

"Of course! The more the merrier!" Lucy told him.

Another look passed between Dimir and her friends, the three of them nodding. Atsushi was sure that, if it was hide-and-seek, then they could win. After all, no one was better at hiding than Junichirou with his ability.

"One more thing before we start." Lucy told them. "Violence is prohibited in this room. You mustn't damage or destroy anything in here. Are you ready?"

Dimir and her friends braced themselves as Junichirou took the key and declared that they were ready. She had just enough time to think that she shouldn't have worn a dress to work today before something moving in the corner of her vision, had Dimir activating her Lolita ability and moving before she could think it through. She moved out of the way just in time to avoid Anne grabbing her, but that meant she grabbed Junichirou instead.

"Got the first one." Lucy sneered.

With her hands on Junichirou, Anne dragged him into the locked room, the door slamming close behind him. Dimir hurried to Atsushi's side, now on high alert.

"This isn't good." she said lowly. "That thing moves so quickly. Using an electrical discharge through my ability was the only way I avoided her. As if I didn't have enough reasons to find dolls creepy."

On this, Atsushi had to agree with Dimir. Dimir would probably be alright, for a while, with her Flash Step technique, but once she ran out of built up electricity, she would be at a disadvantage. This was bad.

"You're getting more friends! Aren't you glad, Anne?!" Lucy asked. "What? You still want more? Then..."

"Move, Atsushi!" Dimir yelled, the sound of electricity crackling sounding as she darted to the side.

Anne reached for Atsushi, her fingers closing on air as Atsushi activated his own ability in his legs only to launch himself into the air. Anne followed his upward progress and made another snatch for him. Dimir came darting in from the side, grabbing Atsushi around the waist to yank him out of the way. The moment they landed, they split up, Anne, once again, grabbing at air. Anne turned, this time going after Dimir. Another crackle of lightning and Dimir jumped over Anne's head, flipping so that she landed right on her feet. Lucy started clapping at the two.

"That was amazing! You're both like acrobats! Show me more!" Lucy cheered.

Dimir put her back to Atsushi's, the two keeping their eyes peeled for where Anne would pop up next.

"Speed wise, she's no slower than Akutagawa was." Dimir remarked.

"You're right. If we so much as let our concentration waver, we'll be caught." Atsushi agreed.

Then what were they going to do?"

"Those abilities of your are really powerful and convenient!" Lucy called, drawing their attention. "You must've been doted on ever since you were little! Both of you. You're orphans, aren't you? I grew up in an orphanage, too. It was a terribly cold place. After working for an entire day with freezing cold water and a dishcloth, my fingers would hurt for several days straight. Not to mention, my ability is something like this. Everyone says I'm disgusting."

Dimir peered over her shoulder at Lucy, She could feel Atsushi tense up behind her and knew that Lucy was getting to him.

"After you were kidnapped, the people at the Detective Agency did everything they could to look for you. How nice. It must be because you have such a wonderful ability. I was also taken in by the Guild because of my ability. But the Guild does not tolerate failure. If I mess up this mission, I'll be thrown away like a dirty napkin. Then I'll become alone again. Can you believe that? Hey. Why is it you? Why not me?" Lucy asked. "So unfair. Perhaps I should make you understand how I feel. Stay in this room forever!"

This time, when Anne attacked, Dimir grabbed Atsushi's shoulder, swinging him behind her. Holding up her hands, she warned Atsushi to cover his eyes before letting off a blast of electricity so bright, it blinded Anne and Lucy for a moment. It was a handy little technique Dimir liked to call Stun-gun.

"Go, Atsushi!" she called over her shoulder.

Atsushi, the key in hand, made a dash for the locked door. With Anne blinded, he was able to make it to the door, but when he tried to put the key in...it attacked him. Turning, Atsushi threw the key away from himself.

"Oh? If you throw away such an important key just like that, you'll get scolded by the teachers at the orphanage." Lucy said, picking up the key to show the twisted little monster the key had become.

"Didn't you say I win if I open the door with the key?!" Atsushi demanded.

"Yep. If you can. But even I don't know how to use this key." Lucy replied.

So it had been stacked against them from the start. If they couldn't use the key, then they couldn't free their friends.

"What's wrong? The game has only just started for real! You may be a genius at playing tag, but how long can you stay conscious in this state?"

Dimir and Atsushi were forced to stay on the move after that, each of them dodging and avoiding Anne as she chased them around the room. Dimir tried to think of a way out of this, but if the key attacked them whenever they tried to put it in the keyhole, then how were they suppose to win their friends back? Dimir didn't even have a chance to talk it out with Atsushi and, therefore, didn't know what he was thinking.

When Anne went after her, though, she found out.

The moment Anne turned her attention to Dimir, Atsushi made a dash for the door that would lead outside.

"Are you running away? Leaving your friends behind?!" Lucy called after him.

"Atsushi, don't!" Dimir called, darting out of the way of Anne.

Thankfully, before he could grab the doorknob, the man, who had managed to slip Dimir's mind for the moment, stopped him.

"That won't do, young man. The enemy is over there." he told Atsushi, Dimir finally reaching them.

Dimir opened her mouth to scold Atsushi when he simply fell over. Dimir stared down at him, bewildered, while Atsushi coughed.

"I don't recommend running away under such circumstances, even though I don't expect you to trust a lowly doctor like me." the man told Atsushi.

"He's right, Atsushi. If we can believe what she's already told us, then once we go out this door, we lose all memory of this place." Dimir reminded Atsushi.

"Not only would you fall right into the enemy's trap, you would also forget that your companions are in grave danger, and the enemy will continue her attack." he man added. "Here's some good news. According to game theory, thoroughly retaliating against an opponent that means you harm is the most suitable solution, theoretically speaking. In other words, beat your enemy on the spot, so thoroughly that they can't fight back." the man told them.

"But this method..."

"It's particularly effective when used against enemies who can't afford to lose but still take their opponents lightly. And from what I just heard, didn't the people in that room risk their lives to save you when you were locked up in the first place?" the man asked.

"He has a point, Atsushi. Given our current situation, even though the Director told me not to, we might have to resort to Ten Dark Women here." Dimir told Atsushi.

"You can't! He said to never let anyone outside the agency see!" Atsushi told her.

"I know, but Lolita isn't going to be enough, Atsushi. I can keep Anne away from you with Ao." Dimir said. "Better yet...we'll use Midori."

It took Atsushi a moment to catch the meaning behind that last comment, but then he remembered what Dimir said was Midori's power.

"What is she talking about?" the man asked.

"Sir, I'm going to have to kindly request that you don't repeat what you see here." Dimir told the man, giving him a smile when he looked at her. "I really hate having to use two abilities on one person, but this is an emergency."

Leaving the man staring at her with wide eyes at the reveal, Dimir turned, along with Atsushi, to face Lucy, Atsushi reaching out to take the ribbon the man was holding.

"Done talking? Fired up again? It won't be fun if you're not." Lucy told them. "But it's over."

Dimir was faster to react than Atsushi, her eyes following Lucy's when she looked down. Seeing Anne's face rising up out of the floor, Dimir, in a moment of panic, freaked out and, with a little squeal, bolted. Atsushi jumped at the last second, only for a second Anne to appear out of the ceiling.

"There's another one?!" Atsushi yelled as the first Anne went after Dimir.

"Because there are more than one of you! Isn't that obvious?" Lucy replied as the second Anne caught Atsushi and dragged him into the locked room.

"Yay! One more to go! Ready to give u..."

Lucy trailed off as she turned to look at Dimir, only to find the two Annes chasing Dimir from one side of the room to the other, the girl only picking up speed to squeal when one of the dolls got in her way. She would then freak out and manage to slip through the second doll's fingers to start the chase over all over again.

"I hate dolls! These things are so creepy!" Dimir cried, running for all she was worth.

It made both Lucy and the doctor stare after the girl with deadpan looks. Neither had ever expected to meet a teenage girl who was so thoroughly creeped out by dolls. Then Dimir tripped. In that moment of stumbling, one of the Anne's caught her, dragging her into the room, the door slamming shut behind her.

"That's it! Game over!" Lucy cheered before turning to the doctor. "Well then, what to do, dear sir? It's all thanks to your words that the man-tiger didn't run away. I can let you go as a show of thanks. After all, I wasn't ordered to capture you. Letting a raggedy middle-aged guy go won't piss of Fitzgerald. Or maybe...It'll be quite fun to watch your face of despair when you get caught by Anne."

Lucy froze when she met the man's gaze. An instant wave of murderous intent washed over her, leaving her unable to move from her spot as her legs started to shake uncontrollably. Even Anne seemed to freeze in the face of this man.

"Why don't you give it a try?" he taunted. "You can't because you've already lost. Look."

When he pointed towards the door, Lucy turned to look. Before her eyes, the close door faded away to show Atsushi holding on to the door frame, the door wide open, unable to close with Atsushi still not completely in the room.

"How...the door was definitely closed!" Lucy exclaimed.

"You've overlook something. This has been a three-on-one fight since the beginning." Atsushi told her before she finally saw Junichirou behind Atsushi. "The moment the door opened, Tanizaki created an illusion of a closed door with Light Snow."

"And then there was my part." Lucy whipped around as Dimir stepped out from behind a pile of boxes. "Of course, you didn't see that coming, either."

"How?! I saw you get dragged into the room!" Lucy yelled.

"Sorry, but that was a hallucination. Courtesy of Midori." Dimir said. Before Lucy could question that, a small dark figure shaped like a woman came out from under Dimir's hair, climbing up onto her shoulder. There was a grey scarf tied around her neck. "Gure, please recall Midori."

The little figure gave a bow of her head and waved an arm over her head. Lucy stared in wide eyed horror as a similar figure, this one with a green scarf tied around her waist, appeared from the neckline of her dress and flew back to Dimir, landing in Dimir's outstretched hand.

"But...you have an electrical base ability!" Lucy yelled.

"You seem to be just a little mistaken. This is my ability, Ten Dark Women. Midori here, causes my enemies to hallucinate a vision of my choosing." Dimir told her, smiling.

"No way...he fought against the force dragging him into the room with nothing but his arms? And you...you tricked me into thinking your ability was something else. This all should be impossible!" Lucy yelled.

"You...are wrong about one thing." Atsushi said. "I'm not strong, nor am I popular. It's fair to say I bring calamity upon others simply by being alive. So I understand your envy and hatred towards others."

"As for me, you are right." Dimir said, drawing attention to her as she sat Midori on her other shoulder. "I am an orphan, yes, but unlike you and Atsushi, who had a roof over your heads and food to eat, I grew up on the streets, fighting for ever scrap of food and for the clothes on my back, day in and day out. I understand well the tears of loneliness and sadness, the anger towards those who have so easily, what I have to fight for. But I don't let that dark take hold. I choose to look on the bright side."

"To tell the truth, neither of us want you to fail your mission! We don't want you to lose your home! But...I'm too weak and too inexperienced. So I can't think of any other way!" Atsushi swore.

"And here is where my part comes into play. You see," Dimir pointed to her waist. "I had to make you hallucinate so you wouldn't notice."

"Notice? Notice wh-"

Lucy cut off when something suddenly yanked her towards the room by her waist. With Midori's effect finally lifted, Lucy noticed the ribbon now tied about her waist.

"This is...!"

"I tied this ribbon on you right before I was pulled away." Atsushi told her, giving the ribbon one hard yank to fully pull Lucy to him. Wrapping one arm around her shoulders, he held her tightly.

"Let go of me!" Lucy screamed.

"Deactivate your ability right now and release everyone or I'll drag you into this room together with me. The door can't be opened without the key, so if you're locked into the room, there'll be nobody left to open the door. If it comes to that, you won't be able to return to the original world even when you deactivate your ability. Right?" Atsushi demanded.

"Well..."

Lucy couldn't deny it but she didn't want to confirm it either.

"Abilities aren't a tool for dominating others. I know that very well. Do you want to be locked in this space of your own making until you die? No...you probably won't be able to get out even after you die?" Atsushi continued.

"But I...absolutely cannot fail." Lucy said, her tone pleading with him to see sense.

"I'm letting go. You only have until the door closes to make your decision and Dimir will not move an inch to stop this." Atsushi told her.

Lucy's eyes flew to Dimir but she had already turned her back on the door, one hand raised to lightly stroke Gure's head with two fingers. It was clear that the girl wasn't going to do anything to stop this.

And then Atsushi let go.

In the next second, they all found themselves back in the real world, Junichirou checking on Naomi while Dimir rushed over to Kenji to make sure he was unharmed. When she was sure he was fine, she looked around, catching sight of the man who had been looking for the little girl.

"Aaaaaah, Elise!" he cried, finally finding the little girl. "Are you alright? Where on earth have you been?! I was worried sick! How could you just disappear on me?!"

"I thought you'd be worried if I suddenly vanished, Rintarou." the little girl, Elise told him.

"Of course I would! I was really worried! So worried I almost cried!" the man replied.

"I know. That's why I wanted to make you cry. For fun." Elise told him.

Dimir almost slapped a hand to her face. That was some child if she got her kicks from scaring the daylights out of her guardian. Even she had never gone through a phase where she liked to make her mother worry.

"That's mean, Elise!" the man, who Elise called Rintarou, said. "But you're adorable, so I forgive you!"

"That child could get away with murder if all saw it as he does." Dimir muttered lowly to Atsushi, before something caught her attention.

Only the sound of running footsteps warned Dimir and Atsushi before Kyoka ran right into Atsushi, hugging him around the waist.

"Kyoka! Are you here to fetch me?" Atsushi asked, crouching down in front of Kyoka.

"I was worried." Kyoka told him.

"Thanks."

"Well, I guess roommates got to stick together." Dimir said, smiling when Kyoka looked up at her.

"Then we'll be going."

Rintarou calling out to them, had Atsushi and Dimir turning towards him.

"Thank you very much for your advice. That's right...you're a doctor?" Atsushi asked.

"I was. Now I'm just a middle-aged nobody working in some small company." he replied. "Young man. No matter how difficult the situation is, there is always, theoretically, a suitable solution. The more you feel like giving up amidst the confusion, the more you mustn't forget that."

With that, Atsushi and Dimir waved to the man as he took Elise's hand and walked away. It was then that they heard the clattering of Kyoka's cellphone hitting the ground. Turning around, they found the girl falling to her knees in wide-eyed horror. Dimir dropped to her knees before Kyoka, trying to get her to say something, but the girl merely continued staring. Whatever it was that happened, it frightened Kyoya and Dimir didn't like it.

She would find out, soon enough, what scared Kyoka.

-0-0-0-0-

"I had such a wonderful time." Elise looked up at the man walking beside her as he talked happily. "It feels as if I'd regained my child-like innocence! I feel like kicking my enemy's ass with my ability!"

"An old man like you? Forget it." Elise told him.

"You're mean!"

The air around the man shifted then as they reached a back alley dead-end. There waited members of the Port Mafia surrounding the bloody corpse of a man foolish enough to got up against them. Chuuya stood waiting, looking up when the man and Elise stepped into view. Instantly, every member dropped to their knees, bowing their heads to him.

Unknown to Atsushi and Dimir, the very man they had protected in that playroom from hell, was none other than Ougai Mori, the boss of the Port Mafia.

"Is this an assassin from the Guild?" Mori asked, looking down at the corpse.

"Yes, sir." Chuuya replied.

"First the Detective Agency, now the Guild. We're stuck in another difficult situation. I'd better look for the most suitable solution. Be it the Guild, or the Detective Agency, enemies have to be thoroughly beaten and killed." Mori said.

Of course, his men agreed with him.

"Ah! Also, I met the most...interesting girl today. It seems the Detective Agency has found a gem to join their ranks." Mori remarked.

Chuuya felt a bad feeling start to grow in his gut when Mori said this. He still had not said a word to Mori about Dimir and the fact that the girl had multiple abilities. It made him wonder if Mori had found out on his own. Part of Chuuya hoped that wasn't the case.

"Who are you talking about, sir?" one of the other men asked.

"Now what was her name...oh, yes...Nabokov Dimir. A girl with two abilities."

Chuuya turned, fixing wide eyes on Mori who had a grin on his face. That was exactly the look Chuuya had been hoping to avoid. It was a look of greed and desire for power. It was a look that said that Mori had seen something he wanted and now, he would have it. Somehow, someway.

"Two abilities? Are you sure?" another man asked.

"Yes. I saw them both with my own eyes. We shall have to see what we can do to... **tempt** her to join us." Mori remarked.

Chuuya knew this wasn't going to end well for Dimir.

Not one bit.

END

Kyandi: While I like Chuuya and being able to tease him everyday would be a plus for me, I would not join the mafia.

Dimir: Same here, though I would live without relentlessly teasing Chuuya.

Kyandi: Aw, but that's the fun part!

Dimir: You and Osamu are just too much alike. It's rather concerning.

Kyandi: Depends on how you look at it.

Dimir: Any way you look at it.

Kyandi: If you say so. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: We'll be right back.

Kyandi: Bye bye!


	7. Tis War

Kyandi: Welcome back, Kyandiacs!

Dimir: We're back with the next chapter.

Kyandi: I have to say, I really enjoy writing this story.

Dimir: Let me guess, you enjoy writing Osamu and Chuuya?

Kyandi: Bingo. The two of them are just so funny together.

Dimir: Yes, because watching Osamu anger Chuuya leading to Chuuya trying to kill him, is so hilarious.

Kyandi: Exactly!

Dimir: That was actually sarcasm.

Kyandi: I know. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs. If she did, she would give everyone a fear of dolls.

Kyandi: What? They're creepy as hell!

Dimir: ...Agreed.

Chapter 7 Tis War

"I told you we shouldn't have given her that taser."

The current morning saw Dimir and Atsushi standing in the line of a food cart after having to apologize to a judge. The morning had started out with them taking Kyoka on her first job, which was a simple delivery job. All Kyoka had to do was deliver some documents to a judge. When they ran into a communication error that lead to them being unable to get upstairs to the judge's office, Kyoka had fallen back on her training with the mafia and had gotten carried away, leading to the girl tasing the judge.

Now Atsushi and Dimir were buying treats while Kyoka sulked over her failed job. Atsushi heaved a sigh when Dimir reminded him that she had suggested they not give Kyoka any kind of weapon.

"I know." he replied as they stepped up to give their order.

"Oh well. Hind sight is twenty/twenty, right? Anyway, at least she didn't hurt anyone too bad." Dimir remarked, taking the crepe Atsushi had just ordered her.

Handing over her share of the money, while Atsushi took the crepe he ordered for Kyoka, Dimir turned to walk away. Atsushi, after paying, joined her, the two heading back towards Kyoka.

"Yeah, there's that, at least." Atsushi agreed.

When Kyoka came into view, Dimir sighed. The girl looked dejected and was staring at the ground. It was clear that she was upset about failing.

"I hate seeing her upset." Dimir remarked.

"Me too. Come on." Dimir and Atsushi approached Kyoka, Atsushi holding out the crepe. "Here."

Kyoka took the crepe, Dimir and Atsushi taking a seat with Atsushi sitting between the two girls. Dimir gave Atsushi a nudge with an elbow, silently telling him to say something to cheer Kyoka up.

"What a mess, huh? The director has already smoothed things over with the judge. They're friends, after all. But that really was a huge shock! Seriously, Kyoka...your assassination skills-"

Dimir elbowed him hard in the ribs, cutting him off. The look she gave Atsushi told him, clearly, that he needed to steer away from the assassin talk.

"It went well all the way up to the power cut." Kyoka remarked.

"Yes, well...you didn't need to go that far." Dimir told her.

"Well, it's good to acquire some new skills." Atsushi added. "For example..."

"Venus flytrap?" Kyoka asked, referring to a seduction technique the mafia had taught her.

"Just forget all about that." Atsushi and Dimir told her in unison.

"Honestly, what kind of people teach that kind of thing to a fourteen year old?" Dimir asked, shaking her head.

Atsushi had to agree with her. It was then that his attention caught on the cellphone still dangling from around Kyoka's neck.

"That cellphone...you always have it with you." he remarked, Kyoka wrapping a hand around it. "A technician has rewritten the program. It won't receive any calls from the mafia anymore. But it probably didn't leave you with any good memories, did it?"

"It's very important to me." Kyoka corrected.

"Well...it's just a possibility, but if we can solve the mystery of your ability, and put your demon, who only obeys the voice coming from the phone, to good use, you can become an indispensable Detective Agency-"

"Absolutely not!" Kyoka snapped, cutting Atsushi off, dropping the crepe and getting some on her kimono. "Absolutely not. That thing...must never..."

"We get it, Kyoka. Just calm down." Dimir told her, getting to her feet. "I'm going to go get some napkins before that stains your clothes."

Atsushi gave her a grateful smile as Dimir turned and took off. When she was out of sight, Atsushi turned his attention back to Kyoka.

"I get it, but why-"

Atsushi was cut off when Kyoka's phone suddenly rang. With a beep, the phone answered itself.

" _O Demon Snow. Punish he who approached Kyoka and lured her into this World of Lies_ "

Atsushi suddenly fell forward, eyes wide, as Demon Snow attacked him from behind, cutting him across the back. Kyoka could only stare in horror.

"Blood of vermin splattering, still a lovely sight to behold. Would you not agree, my beloved Kyoka?"

Kyoka's wide eyes came up, landing, finally, on the woman standing before her. Ozaki Kouyou, an executive member of the Port Mafia and the woman who had taken care of her when she had been apart of the mafia. Kyoka's heart skipped a beat in fear as the woman approached, a smile on her face.

"Do I find you in good health?" Ozaki asked. "My concern for you runs deep and my heart aches for you...yet, even so, you elect to mingle with such a wretched beast."

Atsushi let out a grunt of pain when Ozaki reached him and stomped a heel down on his injured back. Flipping her phone close so that Demon Snow vanished, Ozaki gave Kyoka a smile.

"But, I am here to save you. You need not worry anymore." Ozaki told her.

"How...you...the phone..."

Kyoka couldn't even form a full sentence, she was too shocked. Part of her wanted to call out to Dimir, to call the girl to her aid, but the other part of her knew that Ozaki would only hurt her as she had Atsushi, and she didn't want that to happen.

"Simple. It was merely a matter of finding the technician mentioned by this little cub," Ozaki ground her heel into Atsushi's back once more, causing him to cry out in pain. "And forcing it out of him. Nothing shall ever trouble you again. I will protect you."

"She will...never return to the mafia!" Atsushi snapped. "From now on, her ability will be of use to the Detective Agency!"

This statement had Ozaki jolting in shock before a single tear slid down her cheek.

"I really should have collected you without awaiting Ougai-dono's permission. You shall not be left in this lair of deceit and hypocrisy for a second longer." Ozaki said, approaching Kyoka and pulling the girl into a hug. "O, my poor Kyoka. Beguiled by honeyed words, deluded into thinking this was a world of light. But one day, these knaves will definitely exploit Demon Snow for the sake of their own profit. You would not like that, would you? However, worry not. These vermin with conniving intentions toward your ability, I shall reduce them to ashes."

"That's rich coming from the mafia...!"

Atsushi was cut off as something attacked him, slicing him from several angles. Before Atsushi's eyes, it appeared...a second demon just like that of Kyoka's ability.

"Too late." The demon sent Atsushi flying into a brick pillar, before piercing him through with its blade. Ozaki approached then, grabbing Atsushi's chin. "Apologies, lad. This is my job, I'm afraid."

"Stop it!" Kyoka demanded.

"Alas, such an endearing visage! I would dearly love to humor you, but I'm sorry. Ougai-dono's order is to kill this lad." Ozaki told her. "But not just the lad. The boss wants all agents of the Detective Agency dead. Well, all but one. In other words, 'tis war. All executive members have mobilized. But I pleaded with him for your life. So you have been spared. Come back, Kyoka. You are a flower of darkness, meant to thrive only in the dark."

"You're wrong." Kyoka snapped, surprising Ozaki. "I am not a flower of darkness."

Ozaki stared at the changed look in Kyoka's eyes. This was not the girl she had known. A new seed of hope had been planted in her and she had changed. It angered Ozaki to see this truth.

"How I hate you, lad." Ozaki told Atsushi. "That child is blinded by light. Light that you exposed her to. Fortunately, though, she is not yet beyond salvation."

Ozaki drew a sword of her own, turning to hold the blade to Atsushi's throat. The look in her eyes was clear. She was going to kill him with her own hands and she was going to enjoy every second of it.

"If this lad dies, surely you will find no place for yourself in the Detective Agency. Especially if you are the reason he dies." Ozaki said, pressing the blade to his neck until a single bead of blood had been drawn.

"Wait." Ozaki turned to look at Kyoka. "I understand. I'll go back, so..."

Ozaki smiled at Kyoka's surrender, lowering her blade and having Golden Demon remove its blade from pinning Atsushi in place.

"Everything I do, I do for you, Kyoka. You will understand one day." Ozaki said, holding her hand out to Kyoka.

Kyoka took hold of her hand and, ignoring a struggling Atsushi, started to walk away with Ozaki. They didn't get far when Kyoka leaned to the side, as if she was leaning into Ozaki's side, and Ozaki dropped the bamboo umbrella she was carrying. Ozaki grinned down at Kyoka, blood dripping from the hand she had wrapped around the knife Kyoka had just tried to plunge into her heart.

Yanking the knife free, Kyoka jumped back away from Ozaki. Ozaki, though, was proud instead of angry with the girl's display.

"Wonderfully done, Kyoka. You almost gave away no murderous intent." Ozaki told her.

It was then that Kyoka showed her the true target she had been aiming for. Raising her left hand, Kyoka showed that she now had Ozaki's cellphone in hand.

"Once a person has seen the world of light, before you know it, it's impossible to turn back. Dimir once told me..."Light is to darkness what love is to fear; in the presence of one, the other disappears. So don't be afraid of the light and don't run from love. It is what will fight off the darkness and chase away the fear."." Kyoka said, flipping open Ozaki's cellphone, all the while, picturing the bright smile Dimir had given her when she had said that.

"Don't use that, Kyoka." Ozaki ordered. "If you do, you will-"

"Demon Snow! Vanquish my foe!" Kyoka ordered, gripping the cellphone dangling from her neck.

Demon Snow appeared, clashing with Golden Demon as it came to the defense of its owner. The two demons fought, slicing up everything in their way as they clashed. While they battled, Kyoka attacked Ozaki, the woman drawing her sword in order to stop Kyoka's blade.

"You see?! This is the true nature of your blade! Kill everyone in your way. No need for threat, no room for bargains. Just like a demon." Ozaki told her.

"You're wrong!" Kyoka shouted, the two shoving away from each other.

"You know, Kyoka, it is not as if...I do not sympathize with you. However, some things are simply not meant to be. No matter how hard you, an assassin from birth, yearn for light, a flower that blooms in the dark, can only survive in darkness. If it still seeks light, it will only end up being burnt to a crisp by that blaze. Why would I know? Simple, I know because...because in the past, there once was a girl who was scorched by the light and reduced to ashes." Ozaki told her.

"But...even if that's really the case...how can I simply forget this wonderful dream now that I've seen it?!" Kyoka demanded, Demon Snow attacking once more, only to be stopped by Golden Demon just inches short of Ozaki.

"Come back, Kyoka. You know it deep in your heart." Ozaki said.

"No...I don't want to go back. Even so, I..."

"To achieve your objectives, you can legitimize all the slaughters you have committed. Your true nature will never change. If that was not the case, you would not be able to use Demon Snow as a weapon. Because Demon Snow...butchered your very own parents." Ozaki mercilessly said.

"Now way...why..."

At the sound of Atsushi's voice, the girl turned to look at him, seeing the horror on his face. Hit hard by the look on his face, Kyoka dropped Ozaki's cellphone, the device shattering as it hit the ground and Demon Snow vanishing along with it.

"That's not true...that's..."

Before Kyoka could finish her sentence, cars came rushing onto the scene, mafia members spilling from them and aiming guns at Kyoka and Atsushi.

"Let me protect you. You need not wield that blade for the sake of finding a place to belong ever again." Ozaki told Kyoka, as the young girl dropped her blade. She pulled Kyoka to her, letting them be surrounded by mafia men. "I shall leave the rest to you."

Atsushi watched in horror as Ozaki lead Kyoka away and he was unable to get up to help her. It was in that moment of helplessness, that help arrived.

"Please duck."

Atsushi's eyes widened as a car went flying over his head to crash into the mafia men around him. Whipping around, Atsushi was confronted with the sight of Kenji, Kunikida and Dimir running towards him.

"Atsushi! I'm so sorry I'm so late! I knew I had to call in help when I saw she was an Executive." Dimir said, dropping to her knees beside Atsushi. "I'm sorry I wasn't faster."

"No, it's fine." Atsushi told her as Kunikida knelt next to her.

"We made some modifications to Kyoka's phone. It sends us a signal whenever it receives a call. On top of that, Dimir called me just moments later and told us exactly where you were." Kunikida told him before grabbing him by the back of his shirt and yanking him to his feet. "Get up. How long are you gonna keep letting others protect you? Getting back on your feet even when you're full of holes...isn't such toughness the man-tiger's strength?"

"You vermin from the Detective Agency...!" Dimir rose to her feet, turning to look at Ozaki as she angrily glared at them. "I shall not let Kyoka look upon such poisonous light ever again!"

"Which is to say, you want an all-out war between the two organizations? At such a busy time?" Kunikida asked.

He was kept from an answer as Dimir stepped forward. The mafia men tensed, but didn't fire when she stopped just a few feet in front of her comrades. Ignoring the men and Ozaki, Dimir leaned to the side, trying to see Kyoka, who was hidden behind Ozaki.

"Kyoka? What is your opinion in all this?" Dimir asked, not the least bit concerned by the guns pointed at her.

Which her comrades understood, knowing that Dimir could easily just call forth Ao to protect her from any gun fire.

"She will go back with me!" Ozaki snapped at Dimir.

"Yes, I know that's your desire, but I'm not asking about that. I'm asking what **Kyoka** wants." Dimir replied. "After all, it's not **your** life we're talking about."

Ozaki stared at Dimir in shock at the blatant disregard the girl had for her. Dimir didn't even take her eyes off the kimono sleeve that mostly hid Kyoka from her view.

"She...she said a flower born in darkness, can never go into the light or it would burn." came Kyoka's voice.

"She did, did she? Well...You know, she's right." Shocked eyes turned to Dimir, her comrades unable to believe she had just said that. "But that being said...even flowers burnt to ashes give new life to sprouts stronger and more beautiful, that can, not only survive the blaze of light, but thrive in it. So, let it burn, Kyoka. Let it burn and grow stronger. Let the light burn away the past and give life to a bright, new future."

"How can you spout such atrocities?!" Ozaki snapped at her.

"Atrocities? My dear lady, you obviously don't know the meaning of the word for I am not being cruel in any way." Dimir replied, finally looking Ozaki in the eye. "I was born in the darkness, too. It was because of that, that I learned human nature is divided; it contains both darkness and light. You can choose to accept the darkness and lament it, or you can choose to expand the light until the darkness no longer dominates. What you choose, shows what kind of person you are. Kyoka, that's your choice. Not anyone else's."

"Enough! I will not let this stand!" Ozaki snapped.

Kunikida reached out, laying a hand on Dimir's shoulder and pulling her back to stand between him and Kenji. The tension in the air grew and it was clear that both sides were gearing up fight.

"Wow. Perfect timing."

All attention shifted as a new voice spoke. Walking their way, was two men. One had long hair and seemed less chatty, while the other wore overalls and was happily chatting.

"It seems like a fight's gonna break out any second now. It would've been so much more fun if we'd come just a bit later. Wanna go?" the one in the overalls, Steinbeck, asked his companion.

"Why not...? All this attention is making me...itch." the other, Lovecraft, replied.

"It can't be helped. Since we've got our pay from the Guild, we'd better get to work!" Steinbeck said, cheerfully taking a bite out of a potato he had in hand.

They were ability users from the Guild! Dimir had a really bad feeling about this and could feel Kunikida's hand on her shoulder tighten. Steinbeck turned to some of the mafia men, then, and pointed at them.

"It's gonna be dangerous there! Because the package is on it's way." Steinbeck warned.

Package?

What package?

"Move, Dimir!"

In the next second, Dimir felt herself be shoved, more like thrown, away from her co-workers. She hit the ground rolling, coming to a stop on her knees as something hit the ground, rising a smoke cloud. Coughing, Dimir waved smoke out of her face. When it cleared, what she was confronted with, was the appearance of four more people, three men and one woman. Despite the woman looking like some southern lady from America and one man looking like a priest, Dimir got a bad feeling from them. She was positive that they had to be ability users from the Guild.

Almost instantly, Ozaki ordered her men to fire on the four. While they were under a hail of bullets, Kunikida turned to Dimir.

"Dimir! Get out of here!" Kunikida demanded.

"But...what about you?!" Dimir asked.

"Don't worry about us! Get back to the office! NOW!" Kunikida ordered, snapping at her as he never had before.

Dimir flinched at his tone. She didn't want to leave her friends behind, couldn't. She didn't have it in her. She opened her mouth to argue further, but Kunikida beat her to the punch.

"Damn it! You know why you can't be capture! Get out of here by any means necessary!" he snapped.

With the stark reminder of the Director's orders, Dimir bit her bottom lip. Turning tail and running, leaving her comrades behind went against everything Dimir stood for, but she knew Kunikida had a point. Turning, she ran in the opposite direction of the Guild members, only to have Steinbeck step into her path.

"Sorry, but we can't let you go." he told her, giving her smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Kunikida said by any means necessary, didn't he? Then Dimir was going to have to fight ability with ability. Before Steinbeck's eyes, Dimir's eyes narrowed. With her next step, she bent her knees and, with a flash of lightning, rocketed into the air, flipping right over his head. The moment her feet touched the ground, she applied another spark of electricity to her step and bolted forward at speeds faster than her enemies could react to.

She didn't let up the gas until she took a sliding turn onto a street a good ten blocks away. Reducing her speed to normal levels, Dimir dug her phone out of her pocket. Flipping it open, the hit the first speed dial number, her phone instantly connecting her to Fukuzawa's personal phone. Putting the phone to her ear, she listened to it ring once, then twice, before someone picked up the line.

" _Dimir_ -"

"Director! They need help!"

Back at the Armed Detective Agency office, Fukuzawa pulled the phone away from his ear and looked down at it as Dimir's voice came through, loud and clear and filled with distress. Looking across his desk to where Dazai and Yosano were standing, Fukuzawa put the phone on speaker.

"Dimir, calm down. What is happening?" he asked her.

 _"I called Mr. Doppo when a mafia executive attacked Atsushi. Just before he arrived, mafia men arrived. When Mr. Doppo and Kenji showed up, it looked like things might be fine since all of the mafia men were lower ranked members without abilities, but then two ability users from the Guild arrived. They were there to meet up with four more ability users from the Guild._ " Dimir explained in a rush, her words, now and then, separated by a gasp.

It was clear, listening to her, that she was running while she was on the phone. The urgency in her tone was not lost on them either.

"Dimir, where are you?" Fukuzawa asked.

" _I don't know at the moment! I had to leave the others behind. Mr. Doppo told me to run, to get back to the office. I don't know what happened to the others. I think one of them is following m...EPP!_ "

There was the sound of something hitting the ground, followed by the sound of fumbling with the phone before Dimir's voice was back.

" _Correction! Three are following me! I don't like what that might mean for Mr. Doppo and the others. You have to get help to them!_ " Dimir hurriedly said.

"Worry about them later, where are you?" Fukuzawa demanded.

 _"Uhh...I just exited the south entrance of Yamashita Park. I'm heading in the opposite direction of the office._ "

Fukuzawa was sure that she was doing that on purpose. She wouldn't come back to the office with three enemy ability users on her tail. Fukuzawa looked up at Dazai, the man getting the silent order. As Dazai left the office, Fukuzawa turned back to the phone.

"Dimir, Dazai is on his way. Get away from them and find a place to hide out until he can collect you. This is an order, Dimir...use any method you need to, to make it back to the office alright. Do you understand me?" Fukuzawa demanded.

" _Yes sir. But the others-_ "

"Leave them to us. Be careful." Fukuzawa ordered.

On the other end of the line, Dimir could only pray that Fukuzawa and the others would reach Kunikida, Atsushi, Kenji, and Kyoka before anything too bad could happen. Promising she would be careful, Dimir hung up, shoving the phone in her pocket. When Steinbeck had attacked, she had picked up speed once more. A glance over her shoulder now, showed her that Steinbeck, Lovecraft, and their comrade, Twain, were still hot on her heels.

It also showed her the tentacle-like appendage that was closing in on her quick.

Dimir had only the time to raise her arms to defend her head before it struck her, hitting her in the mid-drift and sending her flying side-ways off her feet. If all of the air in her lungs wasn't forced out when she was hit, it was when her back collided painfully with a brick wall. Dimir gasped, coughing as she slid down the wall. Her ribs felt like they were on fire and every breath in, hurt.

So did every breath out, for that matter.

"You know that had to hurt."

Dimir opened her eyes, looking up as the three men closed in on her. It had been Twain that had spoken and he came to a stop just a few yards short of Dimir, bending over to peer down at her. Dimir forced her breathing to slow down. Hyperventilating wouldn't help her and she needed to be as calm as she could be when faced with three enemies.

"I think this one is the girl, Dimir. She's a newbie at the Agency and has a lightning based ability." Steinbeck remarked.

At this, Dimir couldn't help the laugh that left her, making her wince as pain stabbed through her chest. When all three looked down at her, Dimir was shifting, getting to her hands and knees despite the pain in both her chest and back. Sitting back on her heels, she forced herself to take a deep breath, finally setting her eyes on the three, a smile on her face.

"You really shouldn't talk about someone like they're not there. It's bad manners." she told them. "Also...you really should do better research next time you want to attack someone. Ao, Kuro, let's show these gentlemen what wrong assumptions lead to."

Lovecraft, who was standing between his two comrades, was surprised when someone suddenly wrapped their arms around his neck. All three men turned to look at the dark figure currently hanging from Lovecraft's shoulder, a black scarf tied around her left wrist. A second dark figure, this one with a blue scarf, appeared, knelling beside Dimir.

"You see, this is my ability, Ten Dark Women. And just for your information...Kuro, the one with the black scarf there...yeah, she explodes." Dimir told them, smiling brightly.

It was all the warning they got before the explosion rocked the street. Having been shielded from the explosion by Ao's shield, Dimir darted free of the smoke cloud, not waiting to see if she had managed to kill any of the three. Truth be told, she didn't want to know if she did. She just wanted to get out of there. Ignoring the pain in her body, Dimir ran. There was no time for her to nurse her wounds.

For example...

"Epp!"

Dimir was unable to hold back the noise when something suddenly grabbed her ankle, tripping her. A painful cry left her as she hit the ground, fire-like pain shooting through her chest. She was positive that she had broken ribs. The pain brought tears to her eyes and had her really wanting to just lay there, but she knew she couldn't.

Pushing herself up, Dimir looked back over her shoulder. Steinbeck was knelling, his hands on the ground, Twain next to him. The two had only mild scuff marks on their clothes while Lovecraft was laying on the ground behind them. Apparently, he had taken most of the explosion, sparing his two comrades, which, Dimir was sure, meant that Lovecraft's ability, whatever it was, allowed him to take the damage and be alright.

That or they used him to save themselves.

"Men outside of Japan really don't have any manners, do they?" Dimir asked.

"My apologies, but this is a job." Steinbeck told her.

"That, I get." Dimir replied, turning until she was sitting. Looking down at her ankle, she found a vine of some sort, wrapped around her ankle. She was pretty sure this was something to do with Steinbeck's ability since the same vines seemed to be growing out of one of his wrists. "A job is a job, regardless of what you have to do, if you aren't a moralist."

"Ah! So you do understand." Steinbeck said, smiling.

"I do." Dimir replied.

"I suppose that means you aren't a moralist yourself." Steinbeck remarked.

"Now I didn't say that. Everyone, even someone like you, have their own set of morals. I'm sure you're doing this for some kind of reason. I'm guessing it's for the money which means there's a reason for that since you don't seem like a materialistic type of man. Perhaps it's to better your situation, to make yourself comfortable, or perhaps it's for someone else. I'm leaning more towards the last one. Either way, that's your set of morals and it doesn't include my comfort." Dimir told him, pressing a hand to her chest.

It was getting a little difficult for Dimir to breathe and, for a moment, she wondered if, maybe, a piece of one of her broken ribs had pierced one of her lungs. She needed to get away as quickly as possible and call Dazai before her lung collapsed on her completely.

"Well, aren't you clever." Steinbeck said, surprised that she had managed to deduce that much.

"Not really. I just happen to have a very clever friend who is always looking for a challenge when it comes to deducing things. Also...I'm stalling." Dimir admitted.

"Stalling?" Twain repeated.

"Yep. Murasakino, if you would."

Twain and Steinbeck grunted as shadowy chains suddenly wrapped around them, binding them and paralyzing them. Following the chains with their eyes, they saw that they lead back to yet another shadowy figure, this one wearing a purple scarf tied around it's head.

"I get it...Ten Dark Women. There's ten of them. I'm willing to bet they all have different effects." Steinbeck remarked.

"You'd be right. It's a right useful ability to have." Dimir confirmed. "Aka, burn this off my ankle, will you."

Another figure appeared, a red scarf tied over the lower part of it's shadowy face. Reaching out, the figure touched the vines around Dimir's ankle, fire bursting to life. While it was a little too warm for Dimir, she dealt with it until the figure burned through the vines. Pulling her ankle free, Dimir turned her eyes on the two men.

"I hate to be rude and run when we were having such a...nice conversation, but I'm afraid I might have a bone fragment piercing one of my lungs. So...Pinku, put them to sleep and don't forget the third one over there. I'm not taking any chances." Dimir ordered.

The figure that appeared wore a pink scarf tied around it's thin waist. She appeared in front of Steinbeck and Twain. The two looked from the figure to Dimir, whose face was going white from pain. It was in that moment that Steinbeck thought about something.

Each of her figures had a different effect, but each of the effects they had seen so far, had been directly connected to the figures' bodies. The first ability they had seen, had been completely disconnected from any of the figures. In fact, the electricity seemed to have come from Dimir, herself.

That meant...

"You have more than one ability." Steinbeck said, looking at Dimir.

Dimir didn't confirm or deny it, but he could see it in the look on her face...he was spot on. With that serious look on her face, she pushed herself up from the ground, slowly. Standing, she wrapped an arm around her chest.

"Pinku, dust them now, please."

The last thing they saw before the pink figure blew in their faces, was Dimir turning her back on them.

-0-0-0-0-

"Utterly shameless, eh? All of you would be in your graves by now if it weren't for my ability."

Not that Atsushi was going to thank Yosano for her healing.

Thankfully, despite the thorough beating the Guild members had given them, Kunikida, Atsushi, and Kenji had been saved by the timely arrival of their own comrades and a healing from Yosano. Though, upon awaking, they had found that neither Dimir or Kyoka had made it back to the office. Yosano had filled them in that Dimir had been the one to call them and that that was why they had arrived so soon. She had also made sure to tell them that Dazai was currently out to fetch Dimir.

As for Kyoka, none of them knew where she was.

"How are you feeling?"

Kunikida's head flew up off his desk when Fukuzawa walked into the room, asking how they were. Kunikida picked up his glasses, putting them back on.

"Director. Apologies for not being able to prevent this mess." Kunikida told him.

"Fine." Fukuzawa said before turning to Yosano. "Any news from Dazai?"

"Not yet." Yosano told him.

Before anyone else could say something, the door to the office flew open and Junichirou ran into the room.

"Dazai is back with Dimir! She needs help!" he said.

Dazai came in through the door behind him, Dimir in his arms. The girl was considerably worse for wear, her knees bruised and bloody, scraps on her chin and bruises coloring her skin. Her face was white from pain and the girl was gasping for breath.

"She has broken ribs and one of them might have punctured her lung." Dazai said, Yosano instantly on the move.

"Infirmary." she told Dazai, moving ahead of him.

Dimir stopped Dazai, though, her eyes turning to Fukuzawa.

"I'm...I'm sorry...sir. I...had to...use two...of my abilities." she told him, getting the words out between gasps. "I'm...so sorry!"

Instead of saying something in reply. Fukuzawa laid a hand on her head, giving it a pat before he turned his eyes to Dazai.

"Take her to the infirmary." he told him, before looking at Dimir. "We'll talk after you're healed and have rested."

Removing his hand from her head, Fukuzawa let Dazai carry on to the infirmary. Fukuzawa continued to stare after them, even after they had vanished into the infirmary. When he finally spoke, it was clear he wasn't pleased.

"I'm heading out for a bit." he said, heading for the door.

"But heading out now-"

Atsushi was cut off as the door slammed close behind Fukuzawa.

With this attack on their members and four of them injured, Fukuzawa wasn't too happy. To top it off, now the Guild knew that Dimir possessed two abilities. With this, they would have to take some drastic steps.

First thing first...healing Dimir.

END

Kyandi: I have, thankfully, never broken ribs, but I do know what it feels like to not be able to breathe like that.

Dimir: Asthma?

Kyandi: Yep. And it sucks. That said, I'd love to have the ability to put others to sleep.

Dimir: You'd be using it on your family, left and right, right?

Kyandi: You know it. Sometimes, I just wish they would take a nap and be quiet for a little while.

Dimir: But even then, with a few of your family members, it's not quiet. Need I remind you of how loudly your father and sister snore?

Kyandi: No, you don't. The earplugs I have to sleep with remind me enough. Anyway, let's move on. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: We'll be back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	8. Bait

Kyandi: Greetings, Kyandiacs! We have returned.

Dimir: And we have a new chapter for you.

Kyandi: I'm going to start trying to get on a somewhat regular posting schedule.

Dimir: She's going to start trying to post a chapter every Sunday.

Kyandi: Mind, that means one random chapter, not specifically a chapter for this story. It'll be a chapter for whatever story I have the muse for at the time.

Dimir: The point is, is you like some of her other works, then that means you'll have something to read once a week.

Kyandi: For now, I have a chapter for this story ready.

Dimir: She finally reached one chapter she's been wanting to write for a while, so expect another chapter for this story soon.

Kyandi: I can't help it. That aside, let's get to it because I'm sure they want to read now.

Dimir: Right.

Kyandi: Everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.

Chapter 8 Bait

With impending war on the horizon, the Armed Detective Agency begun putting precautions in order. The first thing was to send all of their office workers, those without abilities, out of the prefecture. Soon, that left only the ability users in the Agency left in the office. At the moment, Kunikida found himself sitting at the office when his phone rang. Answering it, he found Fukuzawa on the other end.

" _Progress report._ " Fukuzawa demanded.

"As per your order, the office workers have already been moved out of the prefecture." Kunikida replied.

" _And Dimir?_ " Fukuzawa asked.

Kunikida's eyes raised, looking across the office to the office couch. Since her healing by Yosano, Dimir had been bundled up and left on the couch to sleep. Almost a full twenty-four hours later and she was still asleep, bundled up under one of Dazai's spare coats.

"She is still sleeping. I believe the use of more than one ability might have taken its toll on her." Kunikida told Fukuzawa.

" _I see._ "

"What's our next step?" Kunikida asked.

" _All agents set out from the office and assemble at the old Bankou Hall. Bring Dimir along and she can rest there._ " Fukuzawa ordered.

"Bankou Hall? The base you used before the Agency was founded? The one that you mentioned before?" Kunikida asked, surprised.

" _Very few know about that lecture hall. Our base has to be well hidden, or we'll be easily wiped out by our enemies. Especially since one of our own is still unconscious and unable to defend herself._ " Fukuzawa remarked.

Kunikida wasn't completely surprised to find that Fukuzawa had already resolved himself to fight. Kunikida's eyes drifted back over to the sleeping Dimir. Part of him was hoping she would wake up soon, but another part of him hoped she could sleep through this mess and awaken with no more danger from the Guild or immediate danger from the mafia.

It was then that Fukuzawa said something about guests and hung up the phone. Kunikida pulled the phone from his ear and looked at it.

"Director? Director!"

There was no answer, leaving Kunikida to heave a sigh. Atsushi, who was walking by, carrying some boxes, paused.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The director's call...is he under attack?" Kunikida asked himself more than Atsushi.

"Eh?! Then we have to go rescue him quickly!" Atsushi said.

Kunikida spun his chair until he could look at Atsushi. His expression was not that of one overly concerned with any situation that Fukuzawa could find himself in. As Atsushi set the boxes down, Kunikida got to his feet.

"Try grabbing my wrist." Kunikida told Atsushi.

"Huh?"

Atsushi turned a confused look on Kunikida as the older man held out his arm for him.

"You'll get it soon enough." Kunikida assured him.

Still not quite understanding what Kunikida was getting at, Atsushi did as told and reached for Kunikida's wrist. Before Atsushi's fingers could even make contact with Kunikida, the man easily grabbed him and flipped him over as if he weighted no more than a rag doll. Atsushi still managed to land on his feet, but he was sure it was more from Kunikida's precise control than any skill of his own.

"This is the first technique my martial arts master taught me. A true expert can send an opponent flying no matter how they come charging in." Kunikida told Atsushi. "So far, I haven't won against my master a single time. So no matter how many useless assassins they've sent, there's no way that person would lose."

With that said, Kunikida gathered up what he needed to, gathering a still sleeping Dimir before loading her up in the car. When he arrived at the secret base, he found the others already there. Laying Dimir carefully on a bench, he left her there to sleep while the others got to discussing their next step. Before long, Fukuzawa arrived, as well.

"Listen up, everyone." he called out as he walked towards the front of the hall where Junichirou had two monitors set up to watch the security cameras. "Back then, just two or three days ago, war was still avoidable. But now, that bridge has burned down. On one hand, we have the mafia, trying to take us down. On the other hand, we have the guild, planning to take over us. We must safeguard the Detective Agency under this two-front attack. Dazai, elaborate."

"Gotcha." Dazai agreed.

Everyone else took seats in the desks while Dazai took his spot at the desk at the front of the hall. From there, he explained their plans from there on out.

"The Guild possesses formidable capital, while the mafia has the advantage in the size of their troops. No matter which side we engage in open conflict, we'll only end up getting beaten to a pulp. So-"

"We'll have to make offensive and defensive teams."

Everyone turned when a sudden voice cut Dazai off. Groaning lowly to herself, Dimir sat up, rubbing at one side of her face. Yosano was at her side quickly to check on her.

"How do you feel?" Yosano asked.

"Fine. Thank you for healing me, Akiko. I'm just really..." Dimir cut off as her stomach gave a growl so loud, that it was audible to the others. "Hungry. Using two abilities back to back like that usually makes me sleep for long periods of time afterward and then I have to refuel my tanks by consuming large amounts of food. It's why I never used more than Lolita while I was living on the streets. Or, at least, I tried not to. I'll need to eat before I can fight again. And a change of clothes."

Dimir looked down at her outfit, finding it torn and dirty after trying to flee from Guild members and sleeping in the same clothes for a day. Seeing the state of her new clothes but a frown on Dimir's face. Yosano got Dimir to her feet, telling her that they had grabbed a bag of her stuff from her apartment for her. The two vanished into a side room for Dimir to change and Dazai continued with his explanation, just raising his voice so the two women could hear him from the other room.

"Dimir's right. We're gonna arrange our offense and defense into different personnel, and hold our own against them with guerrilla tactics from now." Dazai explained. "It goes without saying that the defense team's objective is to stay here and protect Doctor Yosano."

Yosano appeared from the side room, a smile on her face while several of her co-workers were making faces. No one really liked facing one of Yosano's treatments and just about only two people had gotten through her treatment with no outward signs of trauma and that was Kenji and Dimir. Though, of course, Dimir had only just awaken.

"With the doctor's healing ability on our side, we can go all out without ever having to worry about our lives." Dazai said. "As for how good that'd feel...that's another matter."

"I'm pretty sure that all of those who have been healed, don't need you to add that last part, Osamu."

Dimir appeared from her temporary changing room, adjusting the collar of her sleeveless, button-down, orange shirt. She had paired it with a grey-and-black plaid skirt, thigh-high stockings of the same color as her shirt, black boots, and black bow which she was struggling to tie into place around her neck.

"Akiko, do you mind?" Dimir asked, pointing to the bow. Yosano walked over to her. Dimir lift her chin while Yosano took the bow into hand and started tying it. "Regardless of how it feels though, I'm grateful for Akiko's ability."

"That makes one of us." Atsushi said lowly.

Once Yosano finished with the bow, Dimir took a seat, Junichirou sitting some food in front of her. It wasn't much and they would definitely have to round up some more from outside the base so that she wasn't dipping into their supplies, but it would go a long way to take the edge off of her hunger. While she ate, Dazai divided them into teams and Yosano sat behind her and fiddled with her hair, braiding the hair along both sides of her head, leaving her bangs as they were, before pinning the braids in place at the back of her head.

"The defense team will be made up of the Director, Doctor Yosano, Kenji, and Ranpo. Next, our offense will be divided into two teams. With Tanizaki's camouflage ability and my ability nullifier as the respective keys, we'll take out our enemies from the side." Dazai said splitting their offense into two teams of two with Junichirou teaming with Kunikida and Dazai teaming with Atsushi. "Dimir, with her well rounded set of abilities, will be acting a go-between between all of the groups. She'll cover where she's needed and will act as message carrier, of sorts, since she's the fastest of us all, on foot and by car."

Dimir gave a sheepish smile as she scratched at one cheek. She had no problem with the role she was given to play. It worked well with her since, given her three abilities, she was a little more flexible than most of the others. She was pretty sure, though, that they would send her out to the battlefield, per se, as a last resort.

"The main objective of this operation is to ensure the seclusion of this base, since if our enemies mobilize all their ability users and storm this place, the defense team won't stand a chance against them." Dazai said, grinning.

"You don't have to grin about that, Osamu." Dimir told him, pausing in her eating to throw a wadded up wrapper at him.

Dazai caught it easily and gave her a smile. Since he was done with his explanation, he stepped aside, letting Fukuzawa take his place at the head of the room.

"Out of the three organizations, only one can survive. If we don't fight, we die! This is a war of abilities among three organizations! Dimir," Dimir looked up as Fukuzawa turned his attention to her. "Since it no longer matters much, if you find yourself in a difficult position, use whatever abilities you have to. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Dimir replied.

With that, everyone went their separate ways to finish discussing plans. Dimir decided that then was the perfect time to discuss something with Fukuzawa that she probably should have a long time ago. So she pulled him aside, locking them into a side room where the others couldn't hear them.

"Dimir, what is it?" Fukuzawa asked.

He could tell by the expression on her face that this, whatever it was, was serious. Dimir turned to face him, gripping her hands together in front of her.

"I should have told you this from the beginning, but...due to my abilities, I have two true forms, ultimate, final moves, if you will, that are not only dangerous to my enemies, but to myself as well. I've only ever use them once, each." Dimir told him. "And one of them caused this."

Fukuzawa stiffened slightly as Dimir reached up and swept back her bangs, revealing the scar on the right side of her forehead.

"My hair was completely black originally, but I assume the trauma caused the hair in that general area to go white." Dimir remarked, brushing her bangs back into place.

"Why are you telling me this?" Fukuzawa asked.

"Because, you need to understand. The first of the two, is the ultimate form of Lolita. It's called Despair. I can't really explain it much, but it's triggered by a phrase and is so destructive, the only time I've used it...I took out an entire city block. Granted, it was a block that was still under construction and, therefore, empty of people, but still. The other is called Eternal Abyss. It is the ultimate combination of all three of my abilities. It takes a lot of power and energy and it almost killed me the one time I used it. I am pretty sure...I would not survive a second attempt. I won't say the whole phrase, but if you ever hear the phrases "Let life be an unfretted howl." or "rust and stardust", come from my mouth, then you'll know I'm about to activate one of them and you need to get everyone out of the area." Dimir told him.

"If they are as destructive as you say, then why would you ever use them?" Fukuzawa demanded.

"I would only ever use the moves for one reason and one reason only." Dimir admitted.

"And that is?"

"If someone I love is in danger and there is nothing else I can do to save them." Fukuzawa fixed his eyes on Dimir's face, her face set in a serious, totally honest face. "I will always do **anything** to save those I care for. Even if it's dangerous to me."

Looking into her gold speckled, blue eyes, Fukuzawa was positive that she would, too. Dimir was loyal to a fault, held a deep, deep love for those she cared for, and looking into her serious eyes, he knew one thing for sure.

Dimir would, as she said, do anything for her friends.

Even if it killed her.

-0-0-0-0-

With everyone given their assignments, Dimir found herself, after filling her seemingly bottomless pit of a stomach, passing time in the lecture hall with the defense team after having to answer the question, "How do you stay so small when you can eat so much?!".

Needless to say, Dimir didn't answer that question.

At the current moment, though, Fukuzawa was instructing Dimir in martial arts so that, maybe, she wouldn't have to rely so heavily upon her abilities to get away from an enemy.

"Like this?" Dimir asked, holding the fighting position he had just shown her.

"Slide your right foot further back." Fukuzawa instructed.

"Right."

Dimir focused on trying to get it right, the others watching her now and then.

"If you're left-handed, why are you learning martial arts with your right as the dominate?" Yosano asked suddenly.

"I write left-handed, and I do most other small things like eat, left-handed, but, when it comes to fighting, I've always had a stronger right than a left. Besides," Dimir said, performing the move she had just been taught. "My mother always use to say that the world wasn't made for left-handed people."

Dimir turned to Fukuzawa, seeking his opinion of her performance thus far.

"Good. Keeping practicing that and you will be able to disarm someone without the use of your abilities." he told her, before turning back to the game set up in front of him, a book open in his hand.

It was then that the seemingly endless waiting got to Ranpo and the man draped himself across the desk with a noise of annoyance. Dimir turned to look at him then.

"I have nothing to do. I wanna go out!" Ranpo complained.

"The mafia will snap your neck if you go out now." Yosano told him, idly flipping through her magazine.

"Why not practice with me, Ranpo? Your ability isn't combat oriented, so it would only be beneficial to you." Dimir offered.

"No thanks!" Ranpo replied, sourly.

"Nothing out of the ordinary on the security cameras?" Fukuzawa asked.

"So far, it's all boring." Yosano said, glancing at the monitors.

"This lecture hall has no regular entrances. The only way to storm this place would be through the unused underground railway tunnel. So, if our enemies try to get in, they will be spotted by the security cameras there." Fukuzawa said.

"Yes, but that also means that we only have one out, ourselves." Dimir remarked, perching herself on the edge of the desk next to Yosano.

"Perhaps, but we also have traps set along the railway. They can hardly attempt an invasion in this terrain without a force of considerable size." Yosano assured her.

"I don't know about that." Dimir muttered, the girl obviously considering it thoughtfully.

"War is so boring! I've exhausted my reserve of sweets in less than a day." Ranpo complained before an idea hit him. Turning to the laptop sitting on the desk, he turned it to face him. "Let's play mahjong on this, Yosano!"

"Oh? On what stakes?" Yosano asked, letting out an evil chuckle.

"Remind me to never play any kind of game with you, Akiko." Dimir said sheepishly. It was then that Dimir caught the serious expression that had fallen on Ranpo's face. "Ranpo? What is it?"

Dimir hopped off the desk and walked around it to peer over Ranpo's shoulder at the screen. She took froze whens he saw the screen.

"Is something wrong?" Yosano asked, getting to her feet.

"Director. We'd better summon the defense teams back to base." Ranpo called.

"Osamu especially." Dimir added.

"Is the enemy here?" Fukuzawa asked, getting to his feet. "How many?

"That's the thing...just one." Dimir said, as Ranpo turned the screen to show Fukuzawa the security image of Chuuya in the railway tunnel.

On the footage, Chuuya quickly located the camera, grinning at it before the camera cut off. Whatever he had done, it had taken out their camera.

"Cameras number two and five are down!" Yosano reported.

"Activate the automatic gun emplacements!" Fukuzawa order.

Dimir, her eyes wide in concern, dove for the monitor, nearly knocking Ranpo out of his chair. She watched the screen intently as the guns fired. Part of her, after getting to know Chuuya a little, hoped he would be alright, but the other half knew that he was an enemy and he was there to kill her and her friends. Even knowing that, when it revealed that the guns had been useless against Chuuya, she heaved a silent sigh of relief.

" _Receiving an envoy with these little puppets? You're so undermanned I could cry. It's pitiful, detectives. Come out, whoever's alive in there_!" Chuuya called out to the cameras.

Dimir was at a loss for what to do. She was torn between two warring sides of herself. Part of her was screaming at her to forget everything, that he was her enemy and she would have to fight him, while the other was trying to find something, some way to talk Chuuya out of hurting her friends. One part was sure she could talk some sense into Chuuya, while the other part was calling her a fool for thinking such a thing of a mafioso.

It made her head hurt.

"Director."

Ranpo turned to Fukuzawa while Dimir remained glued to the monitor.

"Are we all agreed?" Fukuzawa asked.

"Sir, I don't think he's here to harm us." Fukuzawa turned to Dimir as she turned to look at him. "If he was, he has the power to have already brought the roof down on our heads. I've seen him fight Osamu, he's strong. That he hasn't...I don't think he's here to kill us."

"Are you sure?" Fukuzawa asked.

"Yes, sir. I know it's not smart, considering we're enemies, but...I've gotten to know him a little. He's never harmed me regardless of all the times he's had the perfect chance to. He's been kind to me, even gave me a really expensive box of my favorite chocolates. I know what he's capable of, sir, but he's not doing so." she told him.

Fukuzawa stared at Dimir. He hadn't known that she had been in such close contact with a mafia member. Then again, according to Dazai's report, it had been Chuuya he had told about Dimir's abilities. Fukuzawa imagined that had lead Chuuya to having an interest in Dimir, which was probably why he hadn't done anything to harm her...yet.

That aside, Dimir was a pretty good judge of character and she wasn't one to foolishly do anything or to make hasty judgments. The girl had even done research on the Agency before joining it. He would have to trust her judgment. Especially when Ranpo agreed with her that he didn't think Chuuya was there to kill them, either.

Dimir, though, had a bad feeling about what brought Chuuya to them in the first place. She couldn't think of anything that could have brought him to their base that wasn't something bad.

She just hoped she was wrong.

-0-0-0-0-

Chuuya continued down the tunnel when there was no response from the Agency. It wasn't long, though, before he came across the forces sent out to face him. Standing between him and wherever down the tunnel the others were hiding, was Yosano, a machete braced on one shoulder, and Kenji.

Part of Chuuya, a small part he would argue, was just glad it wasn't Dimir.

"Only two have come? I'm being belittled." Chuuya remarked.

"All clients should schedule an appointment before visiting the Detective Agency. If you're unhappy with the reception here, feel free to go to another one." Yosano told him.

"You think a mafia still needs to make an appointment when he's here to tear down your base?" Chuuya demanded.

"Yep!" Kenji said, throwing one hand in the air. "I don't think you have to!"

"Kenji's right. Tear it down if you want." Yosano told him. "However, you're not really here for that, are you?"

"Ha. What makes you think so?" Chuuya asked.

"We **are** detectives. If we can't deduce the purpose behind a client's visit at a glance, what sort of detectives would that make us?" Yosano replied. "That, and...a colleague of mine insist that they know you well enough to guess that you didn't come here to slaughter us."

Chuuya could only guess Dazai when he heard that. Dazai was the only one among the Detective Agency that had spent a large amount of time with him. For now, he chose to ignore that comment.

"Where's your director?" Chuuya asked.

Yosano pointed over her shoulder at a camera near the roof. Chuuya walked over to the camera and held up a photo for the camera to pick up.

"A present from our boss." Chuuya told him.

" _These are members of the Guild?_ " came Fukuzawa's voice over an a mic.

"We've lured them with **bait**. The time and place of their appearance are all stated here." Chuuya said, turning over the photo to point to some writing on the back. "Do whatever you like with them. They're all yours."

" _Why?_ " Fukuzawa asked, instantly suspicious.

"It's a rare chance, isn't it? You can wipe out these two blasted guys from the Guild in one go!" Chuuya told him.

"I see! That's quite an offer. But we purpose something better." Yosano said, a pleasant smile on her face that quickly turned demented. "Let's chop you up piece by piece and have you spill what you're really up to!"

"Awesome plan. Go on, chop chop." Chuuya taunted.

"Kenji!" Yosano called.

"Gotcha!" Kenji replied.

The boy reached down and instantly grabbed a hold of the train track rail and pulled, yanking the metal rail up off the ground, bolts flying free. Chuuya was surprised at first, but then an excited smirk curled his lips.

"I just knew I wasn't cut out to be a messenger. Now this is what I call a decent job." Chuuya remarked.

"Please watch out!" Kenji called politely even as he swung the rail at Chuuya.

When all the rail hit was the concrete wall, Kenji blinked in surprise, wondering where Chuuya could have gotten off to. Chuuya, hands jammed into his pockets, landed lightly on the rail. With a grin, he charged down the length of the rail, Kenji dropping the other end and throwing up his arms to protect his face from Chuuya's kick. The kick still packed enough power to send Kenji flying across the tunnel to crash into the opposite wall.

Yosano took the chance to attack him from behind, but Chuuya dodged the swinging blade, launching himself into the air. With the help of his ability, he landed on the ceiling, remaining there as if he was standing on the ground. Yosano and Kenji stared up at him.

"That ability...you're the gravity manipulator, Nakahara Chuuya, aren't you?" Yosano asked.

"Tsk...that loudmouth Dazai's been running his mouth, huh." Chuuya remarked.

Chuuya dusted off his clothes while Yosano yelled at him to get back down and Kenji stared up at him with wide, awestruck eyes. Once his clothes were dusted off, Chuuya grabbed his hat, to keep it on his head, and let himself fall to the ground below.

"Since Dazai's been looking out for me so carefully, I mustn't let his eagerness go to waste." Chuuya called.

Yosano threw herself out of the way as he crashed to the ground with the force of an object that weighted, at least, ten times the amount of himself. He prepared to attack Yosano again when another voice had him stopping.

"Stop! That's enough, so, please, Chuuya, stop."

Chuuya turned towards the voice, finding Dimir knelling next to Yosano to check on her. When she was sure that Yosano was alright, Dimir stood and turned to face Chuuya. Chuuya had completely frozen in place, not moving and when his eyes met hers, Dimir gave him a soft smile.

"Dimir." Chuuya greeted, cautious as to why Fukuzawa would send her out to meet him.

Then it clicked. When Yosano had said that one of her colleague had vouched for him, she must have meant Dimir, not Dazai. Dimir really did seem like too sweet of a person to speak bad about another person. Too sweet for her own good.

"Hello, Chuuya." Dimir greeted.

"What are you doing out here? Dazai send you?" Chuuya demanded.

"No. I came of my own accord." Dimir replied.

"Why? I know your tricks. You're no match against me." Chuuya warned her.

"I didn't come here to fight you, Chuuya, because, despite your harsh words, I know...you won't hurt me." Dimir said softly, still smiling sweetly.

"What makes you think that?" he demanded.

"I just know."

Chuuya's eyebrow twitched, causing Yosano to call out to Dimir as the girl took a few steps towards him. Chuuya was annoyed. Not at Dimir, but at the fact that part of him really didn't want to hurt her. Dimir was a sweet and innocent person, one who was nothing but polite and kind to all, regardless of their life choices. He really didn't want to hurt her and that was what annoyed him. As a member of the mafia, he shouldn't care.

Gritting his teeth as his annoyance built, Chuuya launched himself forward, as if he was about to attack Dimir. Dimir's smile never wavered and she never so much as flinched, even when he sent a kick flying her way. Realizing that the girl wasn't going to move, Chuuya grit his teeth and, much to her colleagues' surprise, pulled his kick to a stop just a foot shy of Dimir. Dimir's smile, if possible, softened all the more. It only annoyed him more for it to be proven right that he didn't want to hurt her.

And he had no idea why!

He was just grateful that, instead of rubbing it in his face, as he was sure Dazai would have done, Dimir simply moved on.

"Please, Chuuya... listen to what my director has to say." Dimir asked sweetly. Chuuya grit his teeth, appearing as if he was going to argue. Dimir lowered her chin, looking up at him through her eyelashes in an adorably pleading look. "Please?"

Chuuya's eyebrows twitched, a low growl leaving him before yanked his leg back, putting his foot back on the ground. Turning away from her so she couldn't see his face, he clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.

"Fine, whatever!" he snapped.

Had it been a cheesy anime, then flowers would have appeared around Dimir as she smiled at him. On the other end of the security feed, Fukuzawa was glad he had not stopped Dimir when she had gone to help her friends. If Chuuya wouldn't hurt her, then that meant that he didn't have to worry about, at least, one mafia member hurting her.

" _Here is my answer, envoy of the Port Mafia. I am mindful of your proposal. If the Detective Agency is successful in defeating the elite forces of the Guild, you will have eliminated an enemy without lifting a finger yourself. Under such circumstances, it is an ingenious plan for killing two birds with one stone._ " Fukuzawa said.

"But it's not like you're getting the short end of the stick, either. Is it?" Chuuya asked, smiling.

" _Indeed, provided that everything you have divulged hitherto is true. Do we seem like we would tear at any prey within sight? Is that what you think of us, a pack of rabid stray dogs? It is a sophisticated strategy to manipulate one's enemy by feeding them false information. But if you think such a mediocre tactic would be effective against us, then the mafia is unworthy of being our opponent._ " Fukuzawa replied.

To Dimir's ears, Fukuzawa didn't sound too happy, but from the look on Chuuya's face, Dimir got a feeling that there was more to this that he had yet to share with them.

"To be taunted by the leader of the enemy camp...what an honor." Chuuya mocked.

"Chuuya." Dimir warned softly, making him look at her and the displeased look on her face. "What are you hiding? That smile on your face says there's something you aren't telling us."

"Nothing." Chuuya replied.

The smile on his face said differently.

" _What is the Mafia's move behind the scenes?_ " Fukuzawa demanded.

"There. Is. No. Move." Chuuya said, his grin growing.

While Ranpo, on the other end of the security feed, had figured it out, Dimir was working it out in her own head, her brain ticking away and her stomach sinking more and more as she put more pieces together.

" _Oi, Mr. Fancy Hat. Are you the one who leaked the intel to the jolly duo of the Guild?_ " Ranpo asked over the mic.

"Huh? So what if I am?" Chuuya asked, reaching up to touch his hat as he did.

" _The Guild must also have suspected it to be a trap, but they still decided to go along with it, because the_ _ **bait**_ _is too appealing to resist._ " Ranpo said. Finally, it clicked in Dimir's brain what Chuuya hadn't told them and, with a gasp, her hands flew to her mouth, her eyes widening as she stared at Chuuya. " _What are you luring the Guild with?_ "

"Dimir?" Yosano asked.

"You're using Haruno and Naomi, aren't you?!" Dimir demanded.

With Dimir's reveal of the situation, Fukuzawa was furious.

" _You're using our clerks as "bait"?!_ " Fukuzawa demanded.

"There's still time to go to their rescue, and the Guild doesn't know that you'll mobilize. Easy peasy." Chuuya replied.

"All of this, just to force our hand..." Dimir muttered, taking a step away from Chuuya.

"That is to say, you lot found out the hiding place of our clerks and leaked it to the Guild, then you leaked that to the Detective Agency. Having us do each other in while you sweep up the spoils without breaking a sweat. That's what this is about." Yosano said.

"The Detective Agency will definitely fall for it even knowing it's a trap. That's what the boss said." Chuuya said, smiling.

" _Then we will just have to pull a move the mafia wasn't expecting._ " Ranpo said, making Chuuya raise an eyebrow.

" _He is right._ " Fukuzawa chimed in. " _Dimir...go._ "

Chuuya, his eyes widening because he had never expected them to send Dimir, especially since, now, the mafia knew of her multiple abilities, turned to look at Dimir who was peering up at the camera.

"Yes, sir." Dimir said before headed on past Chuuya.

As she passed him, her eyes went to him and it was there, in her eyes, that he saw disappointment and hurt. With that, she ran past him, pulling her cellphone from a pocket in her skirt. Chuuya turned to watch her vanish down the tunnel.

He wasn't exactly sure why, but her look had managed to make him feel bad.

Just a little.

END

Kyandi: That's right, feel guilty, Chuuya!

Dimir: He's going to feel a lot in the coming chapters.

Kyandi: Very true...I'm devious.

Dimir: Yes, well...I wish that deviousness didn't include me.

Kyandi: Sorry, but it's important to development!

Dimir: So you say.

Kyandi: It's not that bad when compared to what I've done to some of my other OCs.

Dimir: Very true.

Kyandi: Anyway, with that said, everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: We'll be back soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	9. Black Out

Kyandi: Hey, everyone!

Dimir: We apologize for the late update.

Kyandi: Yeah, only the second week of my trying to weekly update, at least, one story, and I get the chapter out late.

Dimir: This week had been a little more than she was expecting.

Kyandi: But I'm here with the chapter I meant to post Sunday and I will have another chapter this coming Sunday.

Dimir: So we'll just jump right into the chapter.

Kyandi: Right. So, everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.

Chapter 9 Black Out

As soon as Dimir left the tunnel, she instantly made her way to where she had hidden her car, calling Kunikida along the way. Kunikida answered as she was uncovering her car and she quickly explained what was going on as she tossed aside the tarp and slipped behind the wheel.

" _We're the only ones that can make it in time? Understood. We'll be there right away. And you?_ " Kunikida asked.

"I'm further away, but with my car and my ability...I'll arrive shortly after you." Dimir promised, pulling her keys from her pocket.

" _What are you talking about?_ " Kunikida asked.

"There's a reason I never sold this car of mine, even when I was starving. First off, it runs on both gas and electricity, so I was still able to use it even when I couldn't afford gas. Second, it's equipped to absorb large amounts of electricity and turn it into speed power. In other words...I can use Lolita on it to, not only fuel it, but make it go faster than even a race car." Dimir explained, balancing her phone between her ear and shoulder as she buckled her seat belt with one hand and cranked the car engine with the other.

" _Don't wreck yourself!_ " Kunikida warned.

"I won't. I haven't crashed a car since my first race and that was years ago, Mr. Doppo. Don't worry about me. Just worry about how Junichirou is going to take it when you tell him that the Guild is after Naomi." Dimir told him.

With that, she hung up, putting her phone in a special holder beside the steering wheel so she could answer and be hands free if she had to. Shifting gears, Dimir took off, passing Chuuya as he came out of the tunnel. She didn't spare him a single glance as she speed on past.

Hopefully she would get there before anything happened to her friends.

With that thought in mind, she shifted gears and increased speed, swerving around a car going too slow for her liking. As soon as she was clear of the city, the highway opening up, Dimir gassed it. If there weren't a lot to people on the highway, then she could reach her friends quickly.

 _Just hold on Mr. Doppo, Junichirou. I'm coming to help._

-0-0-0-0-

Miles away, standing at the edge of the highway, Kunikida was finding his previous assumptions of Steinbeck's ability, to be wrong.

After Dimir had told the others what she knew of the abilities of the three Guild members that had chased her, Kunikida had figured that Steinbeck had to come in contact with plants or other things in order to graft his grapevines onto them and spread them. As he had done with the concrete under Dimir's feet. Thus, he had thought that if he could keep Steinbeck away from the tree line, then he could keep the other man from stopping Haruno and Naomi as they fled.

He had been wrong.

He currently found one arm restrained by a grapevine, his gun knocked away.

"I bet you're thinking, "It'll do as long as I keep him from touching a tree before the two girls are clear.", eh?" Steinbeck asked, Kunikida gritting his teeth. "Oversimplifying the situation will render your moves monotonous and highly predictable."

"I see. I'll put that in my notebook later. But then, I bet you're thinking..."He can't attack me anymore once I've knocked away his gun.", am I right?" Kunikida demanded, pulling a page of paper from his notebook from inside his vest with his free hand.

Written on the page was "automatic pistol". Activating his ability, Kunikida turned the paper into a gun, instantly firing on Steinbeck, who blocked the bullets with his vines. While Steinbeck was distracted defending himself, Kunikida took the chance to close the distance between them. All it took was one of the techniques Fukuzawa taught him and he had Steinbeck on his back. Then it was just a matter of ripping the vines out of Steinbeck's neck.

While Steinbeck rolled on the ground in pain, clamping his hands over the wound in his neck, Kunikida tossed the ripped-out grapevines to the side. He flipped Steinbeck onto his stomach and pinned him there, twisting Steinbeck's arms behind his back and pointing the gun at his head.

"Oversimplifying the situation will render your moves monotonous...you'd better note that down too." Kunikida told him. "Who wouldn've thought an ability user corporation from a super-power would stoop so low and commit abductions in a foreign country?"

"What a terrible way of putting it. But the leader once said," Steinbeck turned his head, smirking up at Kunikida. "'The Guild isn't always a charitable organization. We just do what has to be done.'."

That was all the warning Kunikida needed to know that something was wrong. Twisting, he found Lovecraft, who he had thought dead, or at least down for the count, walking towards him. Kunikida fired on him, but the bullets did nothing to even slow Lovecraft down.

"You sure took your time, Lovecraft! What were you waiting for?!" Steinbeck demanded.

"I fell asleep." was the simple reply from Lovecraft.

Kunikida knew they were in trouble. If they had Dimir there, she might have been able to disable Lovecraft with an electric charge, much like a taser, but she had yet to show up. That left him with only one choice.

"Tanizaki! Activate Light Snow to cover-"

Kunikida cut off when Lovecraft's arms turned into a mass of tentacles, the appendages wrapping around Tanizaki and him to slam the two into the cliff side. The impact had both Agency men spitting up blood.

"Whoa...that must've hurt like hell." Steinbeck said, picking up his hat as he got to his feet. "And now, the tables are turned."

"Should I...kill them?" Lovecraft asked.

"What to do? Do we need four hostages?" Steinbeck asked, reaching for his grape seeds.

He stopped, though, when he heard something. He paused, listening closely until he hear it loud and clear.

The sound of a fast approaching car.

Steinbeck turned as a car came around the bend in the highway, moving fast. A little too fast. Not that he was worried. They were on the side of the road, on the opposite side of the highway from the approaching car. All he thought he needed to worry about was the fact that someone was going to see what was going on.

Or so he thought.

As the car quickly closed the distance between them, it suddenly veered to the side. Steinbeck heard the squealing of an emergency break being pulled before he threw himself out of the way of the car. Instead of hitting him, the car side swiped Lovecraft, sending him flying into the very cliff he had slammed his prisoners into. The car came to a stop on the side of the road, a good twenty yards from them. Steinbeck pushed himself up as the driver door opened and someone stepped out of the car.

"You know, I wondered if I might have killed you with Kuro's blast, but it seems I worried for nothing. Now, if you don't mind...return my friends."

Standing there before them, looking none too pleased with the situation she had driven into with her hands on her hips, was Dimir.

Gold speckled, blue eyes went from Lovecraft to Steinbeck, and back as she walked towards them. She didn't seem all too worried, or even overly surprised at his appearance, when Lovecraft stumbled free of the rocks and trees, yanking his head to the side with a sickening crack. He had yet to release Kunikida and Junichirou.

"While I had hoped you didn't die, now I see how you didn't. A direct blast from Kuro, like that, should have killed you, or, at least, put you in a hospital for a while. You don't look any worse for wear." Dimir remarked, looking Lovecraft over.

"I'm actually glad we ran into you again." Steinbeck said, drawing Dimir's attention to him as he stepped up to Lovecraft's side. "Our leader wants to have a word with you."

"My apologies, but you will have to inform him that I am unavailable. My schedule is simply far too full these days. What with having to cater to all these people who simply must keep taking all of my colleagues' attention." Dimir replied. "Now, I do believe I made a kind request of you."

Steinbeck smiled, but, once again, it didn't reach his eyes. What scared Kunikida and Junichirou was that...Dimir's smile was the same. She was far from pleased with the treatment of her friends.

"No can do. I'm not sure what we're going to do with these two since we really don't need four hostages, but our leader really wants to meet you. Whatever. We'll get the girls and you first before we ask for further instructions." Steinbeck said. Dimir's head whipped towards the trees as a distant creaking of wood reached her ears. A minute passed and then Steinbeck clapped his hands together. "Okay! Mission accomplished! Now for our side quest."

Dimir shifted one foot back, bracing herself as Lovecraft and Steinbeck turned their eyes on her. While she had managed to escape them the last time, Steinbeck was sure they would be able to handle it this time, mostly because they now knew what she was capable of.

Then she smiled.

"You are a remarkably easy man to read, Mr...Steinbeck, was it?" Dimir said.

"What do you mean?" Steinbeck asked.

"I can tell, just by the little smirk on your face, that you're thinking that it'll be easier for you this time around because you believe you have learned all I'm capable of." Dimir replied. "Sorry to say...you're highly mistaken. You have not even gleaned the bare surface."

"What do you...?!"

Steinbeck cut off, reaching up to grab his hat and hold it in place as a particularly strong gust of wind blew past them.

"The wind is quite strong today, isn't it?"

Dimir took a step forward, following the flow of the wind, and gave her hand a slashing movement. Steinbeck barely managed to see the blade of wind and only due to the leaves caught up in it. He jumped to the side, but Lovecraft didn't bother. The blade hit, managing to cut a deep slice in one of Lovecraft's arms. He managed to keep his grip on his prisoners, but lost a few of the tentacle-like appendages in the process. Steinbeck landed crouched on one knee, still holding his hat on his head.

"Just how many abilities do you have!?" he demanded.

"Sorry, but that's classified information of the Armed Detective Agency and you don't have the clearance to access it." Dimir replied with as much sass as she had, smiling at him.

So the girl could be a smart-ass too.

Her colleagues already knew that Dimir could be sarcastic at time, but it seemed she was more so when she was displeased with the treatment shown towards her friends. Steinbeck adjusted his hat, his smile taking a sinister twist.

"Seems like we can't be as gentle with you as the other girls." he remarked. "Lovecraft."

Dimir darted to the side, rolling as she hit the ground, avoiding Lovecraft's tentacles as he tried to snatch her up. Popping back to her feet, Dimir threw a hand out, the wind changing directions to whirl around her and create a barrier. Lovecraft's tentacles bounced off the barrier, only curling back to assault the barrier once more.

Dimir grit her teeth as she fought to keep the barrier in place. She was finding it more difficult to create a shield from wind than it was to just simply summon Ao and use the figure's shield. She probably should have started off with Ten Dark Women instead of The World Like the Wind, but to switch now...she would pay for it later.

That being said, with every hit her shield took from Lovecraft, the more energy it drained from her. She didn't have the time to waste with being pinned down. With his next hit, Dimir let the shield break apart and dived forward while he was taken by surprised. A wave of the arm sent several blades of wind flying for Lovecraft, who used his tentacles to protect his body, covering himself from head to toe with them and blocking his vision.

With his sight blocked, Dimir darted around him, aiming for Steinbeck. Steinbeck grit his teeth as she made a b-line for him. He could see the determination in her eyes and knew that it would just take one well-aimed slice of wind to sever his vines and Naomi and Haruno would be able to make their escape before he could reestablish his connection.

"Lovecraft!" he yelled, already back-pedaling away from Dimir.

Dimir wasn't able to react in time before one of Lovecraft's tentacles caught her at the gut, hitting her with enough force to send her flying back off her feet. Dimir crashed into an undignified heap several yards away in the middle of the road. Kunikida could have sworn, from where he was, that he could hear her head hit the concrete.

When Dimir didn't move to get back up, Steinbeck heaved a silent sigh of relief. He did not want to know how much more of a hand full she could get. Regaining his composure, Steinbeck started towards her to collect Dimir.

"We'll let our leader decide what to do with her." Steinbeck remarked.

Steinbeck came to a stop then as Dimir twitched, as if she was still conscious. Then she twitched again, electricity beginning to crackle over her skin as she shifted. Slowly, she shifted herself onto her hands and knees, reaching up to touch her head, pulling her hand back to find blood coloring her fingers red. And then she turned her eyes towards Steinbeck, the man taking a step back when he noticed something.

Dimir's eyes were suddenly a brilliant gold in color.

"Weren't her eyes blue?!" Steinbeck demanded, stepping back even further.

He had a bad feeling about this.

Steinbeck and Lovecraft watched, her comrades watching with wide eyes, as Dimir rose to her feet, the electrical bolts dancing over her skin, growing until they made her hair stand on end. Even her bangs puffed out, giving them all a good view of the scar that stood out vividly on the right side of her forehead. Between the blood now spilling down the left side of her head and face and the electricity crackling around her, it was a scary image enough. Add in the sudden change of eye color and even her friends were fearful of what would come next.

Sure enough, to them, all they saw was Dimir shifting her weight from one foot to the next and the next thing they knew, she hit Steinbeck hard in the gut with an electrified punch that sent the man flying back off his feet. She quickly turned her, now gold eyes on Lovecraft. Lovecraft tried to defend himself by attacking, but it was as if Dimir's steps were increased five fold, the girl moving almost as fast as lightning could strike.

When she hit Lovecraft, it was with such force that Kunikida and Junichirou could feel it vibrate up through his tentacles. Lovecraft, though, remained on his feet, attacking once more. Dimir easily dodged him, her expression far more intent and serious than anything her friends had ever seen. By this point, Steinbeck had somewhat recovered. Shoving another seed into his neck, he reestablished his connection with the plants. Dimir was only mildly stunned when vines erupted from the ground and wrapped around her from ankles to shoulders.

She merely looked down at them, raising an eyebrow before she increased the output of the electricity around her, the vines quickly beginning to char and snap. It was only a matter of time before she was free. Steinbeck knew, then, that he wouldn't be able to restrain her.

"Lovecraft! Knock her out!" he called.

There was no way he was getting near Dimir himself. Best to just let Lovecraft do it. Lovecraft lashed out a tentacle, the appendage hitting Dimir across the face with such force, her friends were surprised it didn't break her neck.

The electricity died down as Dimir's vision clouded with black spider webs. For a moment, she fought the urge her brain had to fall into unconsciousness, the four males present, watching as the gold color of her eyes faded, blue blooming to life once more until they were back to their original gold speckled, she fell limp, finally unconscious. Lovecraft moved to retrieve her, but Steinbeck shook his head at him.

"I'll get her. Let's retreat before the local police arrive." Steinbeck called, Lovecraft agreeing. Steinbeck turned his attention to Kunikida and Junichirou then. "Then we'll be borrowing your little sister and your friend here."

"What do you want with Naomi?" Junichirou demanded.

"I'm not the one in charge, so no idea. But I reckon it's either incarceration or interrogation. As for your friend there...what's her name...Dimir? Yeah, the leader's got big plans for her, what with her multiple abilities. She'll probably spend the rest of her life as a chained servant of the Guild." Steinbeck replied back idly.

"How could you ask for understanding when you're doing this kind of thing?!" Kunikida demanded.

"It's work." Steinbeck replied, shrugging his shoulders. "But of course, moralists like you will never understand, will you?"

"Morals?" Junichirou repeated. It was at this point that Steinbeck noticed a big truck coming down the road. "You're right. The Detective Agency has its morals. But to me, Naomi is an entirely different matter. Compared to things like good and evil or selfishness and selflessness...no. There's no comparison to begin with."

Steinbeck, watching the truck while listening to Junichirou, suddenly noticed...the truck was drifting out of it's lane.

"Just as nobody would compare God with anything, right?" Junichirou asked. It hit Steinbeck then, Junichirou was using his ability to make the driver think that the road was leading right for him and Lovecraft. "For Naomi, I will gladly reduce the world to ashes."

Steinbeck only had time to jump to the side before the truck rammed into Lovecraft and then into the trees. Kunikida and Junichirou were thrown to the side, released from Lovecraft's grip. They hit the ground, recovering as quickly as they could. The two made a dash for Dimir, who had also been released from Steinbeck's vines. Kunikida quickly fished her car keys out of her pocket, helping Junichirou to gather the girl in his arms.

"Get her in the car and let's get out of here." Kunikida ordered.

Junichirou slipped Dimir into the back seat, climbing in behind her while Kunikida slid behind the wheel. Careful not to touch any of the extra buttons installed in her car, Kunikida put the car into gear and hit the gas. To his shock, the car jumped forward with the barest touch of the pedal, but he quickly recovered, driving them away from the scene as cop cars came rushing to the scene.

Kunikida heaved a relieved sigh as they cleared the scene. He glanced in the rear view mirror at Junichirou who was checking on Dimir's head injury. There was no doubt in either of their minds that she had to have a concussion and with the lose of consciousness, that was dangerous. They needed to hurry up and get her back to Yosano. That being said, something else plagued Kunikida's mind.

An image of Dimir, eyes shining like gold, and electricity crackling about her, came back to his mind. Everything from the amount of electrical output, to the color of her eyes and the expression on her face...that hadn't been Dimir. So the question became...

What the hell had it been?

-0-0-0-0-

 _ **What is it you want most in this world, child?**_

 _A small figure of a child stood there in the darkness, peering up at the golden eyes that stared back at her from the shadows. She stood in awe of the shadowy form that moved through the darkness, solid blue eyes staring back._

 _"What do...I want most?" she repeated._

 _ **Yes. What is it that you crave, you desire, more than anything else? Is it freedom? I could free you from this place.**_

 _"Freedom?"_

 _The word sounded too good to be true. To her, who had spent what seemed like her entire life locked in the darkness, freedom wasn't even a pipe dream. It was as impossible as unicorns existing. She was as sure as the sun rising in the west, that she would never be set free of her prison. That was a mere fact that, even at her young age, she knew would never come true. She had long since given up on that dream._

 _No._

 _There was something else she wanted far more than to be free._

 _Looking up at those majestic, gold eyes, seeing only kindness in their depths, the girl smiled and held out one little hand to the presence looming before her._

 _"No, Mister. I don't want freedom. I only want one thing." she told the creature._

 _ **And what would that be, little one?**_

 _"Well, Mister...I want to be your friend."_

 _A shock silence followed that wish, a light chuckle following it as a shadowy hand far bigger than the average human's, reached out towards the child. The girl wrapped her little hand around one of its fingers, her smile growing._

 _ **Your wish is my command, little one.**_

...

"...mir...Dimir? Dimir?"

The soft but urgent calling of her name and the light feeling of hands on her arm and face, brought Dimir out of her dream, pulling her back into the waking world. Letting out a groggy noise, Dimir forced her eyes open finding Fukuzawa and Yosano standing over her, both looking tense. When they saw her eyes open, they relaxed.

"How are you feeling?" Yosano asked.

"Tired...and hungry. Very hungry." Dimir replied, looking around to find herself laid out in the lecture hall once more. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Fukuzawa asked, as Yosano helped her to sit up.

"The last thing I remember, I went to help Mr. Doppo and Junichirou and had confronted the two Guild members after they had restrained Mr. Doppo and Junichirou. I remember getting hit and my head hitting the ground, and then...that's it. I blacked out after that." Dimir replied, reaching up to touch her head where it had hit on the left side.

She looked up in time to catch Fukuzawa and Yosano sharing a look. It instantly made her stomach turn.

"What? What happened? Are Mr. Doppo and Junichirou alright?!" Dimir asked, bolting up, concerned that something had happened to them.

"We're fine."

Dimir whipped around, finding Kunikida and Junichirou sitting not far from them. She let out a relieved sigh when she saw that they looked just fine.

"You honestly don't remember a thing after that?" Kunikida asked her.

"Not a thing. Why?" Dimir asked, looking confused. When all the four did was share looks, it really made Dimir feel anxious. What could have possible happened while she was out cold? "What? What happened? The four of you are really starting to scare me."

"Dimir, you...you got back up again after that." Junichirou told her. "And...your eyes changed colors. They were gold."

Dimir stared at him, her eyes widening. It was enough of a sign to tell them that she had no idea that this had happened. She was completely at a loss for words as she reached up to lay a hand over her right temple. Finding the bangs swept back from her forehead to display the scar, Dimir quickly brushed them back into place, pinning them there with one hand. She ducked her head then, her mouth twisting. Something told them that she had, at least, an inkling of an idea as to what happened.

"Dimir, do know something about this?" Fukuzawa asked.

"Not the changing of my eye color. As far as I know, that's never happened before, but..."

Dimir trailed off, fingers curling to dig into her head.

"But what?" Yosano asked.

"I have blacked out like that before." Dimir admitted as Dazai and Atsushi walked into the room. "I don't know, exactly, when they started, but there's always been times when I'll just black out and lose a chunk of time. At first, that was all it was. I would always wake up where I had blacked out. After I got this though..." Dimir idly pet the hair over the scar. "I would lose whole months at a time and wake up in completely different cities. It was how I found myself in Machida. I still have no memory of how I made it to that town."

"And where did you get that?" Yosano asked, brushing part of Dimir's bangs aside to look at the scar.

"It's what was left after the one and only time I used the ultimate form of Lolita. I think it was from the trauma that caused the scar that turned all the hair growing from that area, white." Dimir answered.

"You mean, it's not dyed?" Atsushi asked.

"Atsushi, I was so poor I couldn't afford food. What makes you think I could afford to keep dying it so the roots wouldn't show?" Dimir replied, Atsushi sheepishly scratching one cheek. "No. After I used the attack, all the hair growing from that area turned white. I've tried shaving the hair from that area and dying it black, but it just keeps growing back in white."

"Could it be something medically wrong with her?" Junichirou asked.

"No. If that was the case, then when I healed her the first time, then it would have been fixed, but she still had another one of those black outs." Yosano replied.

"It has to be something to do with her ability." Kunikida said thoughtfully. "Dimir, when did you first start having these black outs?"

"I think I was four or five...I think." Dimir replied.

"You think?" Kunikida repeated, curiously.

"My mother told me I was around that age, but I personally don't remember. I have no memories from before the age of four. Not a one. In fact, my first ever memory was of me not knowing who my own mother was." Dimir replied.

"Oh?"

This drew Dazai's attention completely to the conversation. When he made that questioning, surprised and intrigued noise, Dimir looked at him, blinking her big eyes at him in confusion when a smile spread across his face.

"Osamu? Do you know something?" Dimir asked, all attention turning to him.

"No, no. Nothing of the sort. Don't mind me." Dazai said, waving a hand in front of his face.

Dimir watched as he turned his back on the room. The thing was...she wasn't stupid. She acted naive, but she wasn't stupid. She knew there was something that Dazai wasn't sharing. Whatever it was, though, she knew he wasn't going to say anything if he was playing stupid. So, heaving in inward sigh, she turned back to the current conversation.

"The thing is...I haven't had one in a while. I thought I was getting better." Dimir remarked.

"The past incidents, did they happen after you hit your head?" Yosano asked.

"No. Mostly...it was almost always at times when my life was at risk and I thought, for sure, that I was going to die. I would black out and when I awoke, I would be safe and sound once more. It's strange, but I just always assumed it was some kind of internal defensive mechanism, or something." she answered.

"Well, it could still stand true in this case. There was no telling what they would have done to her if they had succeed in abducting her." Kunikida remarked.

"That being said...it was frightening." Junichirou said.

Dimir turned a wide eyed look on Junichirou. The young man flew to his feet, waving his arms when tears begun to well up in Dimir's eyes. None of them had ever seen Dimir cry.

"I'm sorry..." Dimir said lowly, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"No, no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that you were frightening, j-just..." Junichirou cut off, unable to think of anything he could say to cheer her back up.

"Dimir-"

"I'm well aware of how dangerous I am." Dimir said lowly, cutting off Yosano as her hands curled into the material of her skirt. "I've tried my hardest, my whole life, not to hurt, or scare, anyone. I never want to hurt an innocent person, ever. I'm so sorry if I did either of those things to any of you. Sorry..."

Dimir hung her head, truly ashamed for any fear she had made her friends feel. Before she could feel too bad, though, Fukuzawa reached out, laying a hand on her head. Dimir raised her head to look at him, eyes sparkling from the tears.

"No one was harmed and now we know what to expect. Everything is fine. For now, we need to focus on our next step." Fukuzawa said before walking away, calling Kunikida and Dazai to follow him.

Dimir watched him leave before she noticed the two people who had come in behind Dazai and Atsushi. Eyes widening, Dimir flew to her feet and raced across the room.

"Haruno! Naomi!" Dimir hit the two at a run, succeeding in knocking all three of them over as she hugged them. "I'm so glad the two of you are alright."

Atsushi smiled as he watched the three females hug each other, all three happy to be reunited. It was obvious, watching the three, that Dimir had been really worried about her friends. While Atsushi was happy to see the three so over joyed to be back together, he was still feeling guilty about what he had done under the influence of Q's ability. Leaving the three, he slipped out of the lecture hall.

Dimir was too busy reassuring herself that her two friends were alright, to notice. It wasn't until Dazai reappeared in the lecture hall and called out to her, that she left Haruno and Naomi. Gesturing for her to follow him, Dazai lead the way to a side room. Peering out the door to make sure no one was there, Dazai turned to her.

Dimir had a horrible feeling about this.

"Dimir...want to do me a huge favor?"

Scratch that...those words were the harbinger of a deal with the devil.

END

Kyandi: Deal with a devil...doesn't that just fit Dazai?

Dimir: Osamu does have his moments.

Kyandi: Moments?

Dimir: ...Okay, so maybe he is the devil's advocate.

Kyandi: Honey...he **is** the devil. When he wants to be, of course.

Dimir: Sadly, I have to agree.

Kyandi: Right? Anyway, let's get on with this. I'm ready for bed.

Dimir: You should stop with the all-nighters.

Kyandi: I know. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Dimir: We'll be back Sunday.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	10. Beginning of War

Kyandi: We're back, everyone!

Dimir: With two new chapters. She just couldn't wait.

Kyandi: That's not a bad thing.

Dimir: It will be if you can't finish another chapter by next Sunday.

Kyandi: Uh...I will.

Dimir: You sure?

Kyandi: We'll see?

Dimir: Kyandi-sama...

Kyandi: Anyway...everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.

Chapter 10 Beginnings of War

 _Dazai's taking his time..._

Atsushi heaved a sigh, checking his phone once more. With Dazai meeting up with a government official in order to see about getting help from the government when dealing with the Guild, Atsushi found himself standing on a bridge spanning across the river, just waiting. So far, it was proving to be a very uneventful waiting as he stood there, leaning on a guard rail.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Atsushi turned when someone suddenly spoke to him. He was sure that wasn't Dazai's voice, and sure enough, when he turned, his eyes widened when he came face to face with the very leader of the Guild leaning on the rail beside him.

"To someone who owns an awful lot of cash and some very outstanding subordinates, the largest enemy is boredom. It's a problem that can't be solved with either money or ability." Fitzgerald told him, smirking at him.

"Wha..!?"

Atsushi jumped back from Fitzgerald, trying to put distance between them. In the blink of an eye, though, Fitzgerald was behind him, looking unamused.

"What a cliched reaction." Fitzgerald remarked.

Activating his ability, Atsushi whipped around, attacking with a punch. Fitzgerald easily caught the punch, stopping it as an amused grin curled his lips. Atsushi was shocked that he had managed to stop his punch.

"This attack is just as typical. The leader of the Guild himself is here to collect you despite the objections from his folks, you know? So you'd better give me some fun, eh?" Fitzgerald said, applying pressure that had Atsushi gritting his teeth.

With such a strong arm, Atsushi knew Fitzgerald had to be a combat-class ability user, and a strong one at that. But he also knew that if he could defeat Fitzgerald, then and there, than it would put an end to the whole war that they currently found themselves in. Atsushi aimed a kick for Fitzgerald's face, getting the man to release him, but, otherwise, it didn't affect the man.

"That was a nice kick. Worth ten thousand. But," Fitzgerald returned the kick, his kick packing enough force to send Atsushi flying back and almost through the guardrail. Coughing up blood, Atsushi fell forward, Fitzgerald grabbing his hair to keep him up. "The bounty we put out was seven billion. If this is all you've got, you're not worth that much. Still, don't despair, old sport. Your worth lies somewhere else. Now come with me."

"Wait."

A new voice calling out, had Fitzgerald turning, looking across the bridge behind him. When he turned, Atsushi was able to get a look at who had spoke. Walking across the bridge, heading their way, was Dimir with Kyoka at her side.

"Oh, I remember you!" Fitzgerald said, his eyes going to Kyoka first. "You're in the lower ranks of the mafia. According to the reports, aren't you suppose to have gone M.I.A.?"

"No. My name is Kyoka. A member of the Detective Agency. Nice to meet you." Kyoka said, seconds before she attacked with no warning.

Fitzgerald leaned back, barely managing to miss having his throat slashed. He was forced to back off away from Atsushi while Dimir ran to Atsushi's side to check on him.

"What a barbaric country. For a dainty young girl to swing a blade without giving away the slightest bit of murderous intent." Fitzgerald remarked.

"Kyoka, now!" Dimir called.

Kyoka whipped around, the two girls each grabbing one of Atsushi's arms. Turning in unison, the two jumped over the rail and towards the river below, dragging Atsushi behind them. Having timed it just right, the two landed on top of a boat passing below, Dimir looking back to make sure he didn't try to follow them.

Thankfully, he didn't.

They road the boat a little ways down the river, until Atsushi had recovered enough to run for himself, before jumping off, finding themselves running through back alleys. Kyoka and Dimir were peering around a corner when they heard Atsushi groan in pain. Turning to look at him with concern, Atsushi gave them a weak smile.

"I'm fine...toughness is the charm of a man-tiger." he told them. "I'm more worried about the two of you. Kyoka, I've been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been all this time? And Dimir, should you really be out and about now that the Guild wants to get their hands on you?"

"Wandering...in the dark...in back alleys and ghettos. Places where I have stayed before. But I now no longer have any place in those neighborhoods." Kyoka answered him.

"I found her there a little while ago, and don't worry about me. Osamu sent me out here to find Kyoka and bring her back home." Dimir added. "I swear, sometimes, the way that man phrases things, it almost sounds like you're about to make a deal with the devil."

Atsushi couldn't deny that way of describing a conversation with Dazai.

"More importantly, let's deal with the Guild first. Look." Kyoka said, drawing them attention around the corner from where they were crouched.

There, they saw a couple of police officers and a squad car. More than likely, the Guild had turned a previous Agency tactic around on them and had called in a false report to the police. From what little of their conversation Dimir could hear, it sounded like someone had called in a false bomb threat.

"Even the Guild can't launch an attack rashly in the presence of the police." Kyoka remarked.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Something about this whole thing gives me a bad feeling and has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Even my scar is throbbing like it's trying to warn me of a storm on the horizon." Dimir remarked, reaching up to touch the scar hidden by her bangs.

"What are you, Harry Potter?" Atsushi asked.

"That's not even funny, Atsushi." Dimir retorted, frowning at him. "I'm being serious."

"I know. For now, let's go." Atsushi told her.

"Come on." Kyoka said, turning to head the opposite direction from the police.

Dimir turned, following her, Atsushi bringing up the rear. Recalling what Ozaki had told him about Kyoka, Atsushi silently watched as Kyoka and Dimir spoke lowly together, discussing which direction to go before making turns. Finally too curious for his own good, a trait that probably sprung from his tiger side, he stopped, making both girls stop and turn to look at him.

"Why have you come back, Kyoka?" he asked. "You could've stayed out of the war if you had remained incognito. Even after Dimir found you, you could have easily given her the slip and continued to stay hidden."

"No, I couldn't." Kyoka retorted.

"Despite what you might want to think, Atsushi, I'm a very hard person to shake. There would be no giving me the slip." Dimir added. "Lolita makes me very fast."

"You know what I mean!" Atsushi retorted in an annoyed fashion before heaving a sigh. "She could have remained hidden because I know you care enough about her that you wouldn't have forced her to come back if she really didn't want to."

Kyoka glanced up at Dimir, who was looking off to the side, sheepishly smiling as she scratched at one cheek. The truth was, Dimir never would force a friend to return if they didn't want to and Kyoka knew it.

"Because the Detective Agency is the only place where I belong. This is the first time I have ever wanted to be something, so I must fight for it. I will resort to anything, even the monstrosity that lies within me." Kyoka replied.

"I agree that we have to fight for it, but I don't agree that you need to kill to do so." Dimir told her. Kyoka turned to her to argue, but the look on Dimir's face was both stern and soft, making the younger female pause as Dimir laid a hand on each of her shoulders. "Remember what I have told you, Kyoka. You can never truly be rid of darkness, because it is just as much a part of the world as light is, but you don't have to let it control you."

"Is it the same for you?" Kyoka asked, remembering one time that Dimir had said she had been born in the darkness too.

"The truth?" Dimir asked, Kyoka nodding. "I like to look at it like this. I will always love the light, for it shows me the way. But, I will also endure the darkness, because it shows me the stars. There's good and bad in both, Kyoka. It's what you chose to do with it. Now, let's find our way out of here."

With that, they decided to try to use the police presence to their advantage. Supporting Atsushi between them, Dimir and Kyoka approached the police, pretending they had been attacked.

"We were attacked by people carrying weapons over there." Kyoka told the police officer as he approached them.

"What did you say? Are you alright? You're badly injured!" the man said, seeing Atsushi's bloody and torn clothing. Turning, he called his partner over. "Inspector!"

The man looked the three of them over.

"This could be a conflict between organizations in the underworld. Yokohama has been giving off some really strange vibes since a while ago." the man mused. "The explosion of a foreign vessel...the young murderer on the run...even the orders from the higher-ups are a mess. Just what on earth is happening?"

The second man was called away then as the radio in the squad car went off. The first man bent to get a good look at Atsushi and to check that Dimir and Kyoka were unharmed. It was from there that they heard the report that came over the police radio.

" _HQ to 07. We've received report of a serial killer on the loose in the vicinity. The target is a fourteen year old young girl in traditional attire, barely five feet tall._ "

Dimir's eyes turned to Kyoka then, the young girl freezing as the office at the radio, turned to look at her, asking how old she was. The man started to reply to HQ that he had found the suspect and had started to reach for his gun, but Kyoka was faster. She attacked the man, slashing him over the left shoulder with her blade. She turned to finish the job, but Dimir and Atsushi, using their abilities, were faster. The two caught Kyoka, all three sliding away from the officers. When they came to a stop, the two turned on Kyoka, speaking at the exact same time.

"What the hell are you doing/What do you think you're doing?!"

Dimir turned, wanting to help the officer, but they had to get out of there before reinforcements showed up. Grabbing one of Kyoka's wrist, Dimir started running, pulling Kyoka after her.

"We have to get out of here." Dimir called to Atsushi.

Nodded, the boy fell into step beside her, Dimir pulling Kyoka after her the whole way. They managed to escape the two police officers, but, before they could leave the area, they ran into Fitzgerald again, and this time, he had company. Dimir and Atsushi slid to a stop, Kyoka bumping into Dimir's back when she came to a sudden halt.

"Congrats. Aren't you getting quite the workout, scuttling about?" Fitzgerald said, holding up a rather thick stack of papers clipped together. "We have an excellent tactician. Of course, we've been perfectly prepared for the situation where the enemy slips through our fingers. Though the plan is thick enough to leave me speechless. Of course, there was only one variable that our tactician couldn't account for."

Dimir slipped into a defensive position, guarding Kyoka behind her, while Atsushi prepared to attack. Before Atsushi could launch his attack, something hit him in the side of the head, like a sniper shot, knocking him unconscious. Dimir whipped around, Kyoka drawing her blade to attack. Another shot took out her blade hand, making her drop her blade. Dimir whipped around to face the direction the shots came from. She only caught the barest of hints of another incoming shot.

" _ **Ao, guard!**_ "

The next shot ricocheted off a shield as it sprang to life around her, two figures, one with a grey scarf and the other with a blue one, appeared beside her. Knowing that there had to be a third Guild member nearby, Dimir glanced towards Fitzgerald, wondering what her next move should be and how she was going to get both Atsushi and Kyoka out of there.

"And **that** was the unpredictable variable that our tactician couldn't take into account. So you must be the young woman, Dimir, that Steinbeck has told me about. He says you have more than one ability and that is a very dangerous thing for our enemies to have." Fitzgerald said, approaching the shield. Reaching out, he knocked his knuckles against the shield. Light rippled over the shield, Dimir watching him closely. Laying a hand against the shield, Fitzgerald leaned against it, grinning at Dimir. "Come work for me. I can pay you five, no, ten times the amount the Detective Agency does."

The look that fell on Dimir's face, was one that was carefully void of any emotion.

"You must be insane."

That was not the answer he had been expecting. Fitzgerald blinked at Dimir is surprise, but the girl's expression didn't change for a moment. Turning to fully face him, Dimir's eyes took on a sharp glint, as if she was angry, but was just barely managing to hide it.

"You really think I care about the amount of money I make? If I really did, I would have taken up the mafia's offer a long time ago, but I grew up on the streets, an orphan living hour by hour, and I am well aware of just how fleeting money is. Keep your money, I have no interest in it." Dimir told him.

"Well, aren't you different." Fitzgerald remarked, standing up straight to slip his hands into his pockets. "Oh, well. You have one of three choices. Join willingly-"

"Pass." Dimir interrupted.

"Become our prisoner and be forced to use your abilities for the Guild, or die." Fitzgerald finished.

Dimir turned to fully faced him and what she did next, also took him a little by surprise. Clasping her hands before her, Dimir tilted her head to the side and gave him a bright smile, a small giggle leaving her.

"Well, then...kill me. I will never betray the Detective Agency in any way, shape or form."

Fitzgerald couldn't help but laugh. Dimir was a very interesting person, indeed. It would be a shame to kill her. Stepping back from her shield, he smiled at her, just as she was smiling at him.

"Mr. Twain."

Dimir's head whipped around as more shots begun pelting her shield. She could tell, from how they felt hitting the shield, that they weren't normal bullets. It had to be a part of someone else's ability. It had to be some kind of sniper-like ability. Dimir, herself, had some long-range attacks, but she wasn't as sharp a shooter as Twain obviously seemed to be. She did better in closer quarters. But nor could she deal with Fitzgerald and his companion if she had a sharp shooter raining bullets down on her head.

"Kyoka, I'll give you an opening. Get Atsushi and yourself out of here. I'll deal with the sniper." Dimir whispered lowly to Kyoka. The other girl looked up at Dimir's serious expression, as she braced her feet, getting ready for whatever she was planning to do. "And I just filled up my stomach, too."

Dimir heaved a sigh, casting a sharp look Fitzgerald's way. The man raised an eyebrow at her. She seemed so calm, even with two injured comrades to concern herself with and a hail of bullets chipping away at her energy.

"Wha-"

"Ki, Orenji, Shiro...come forth!" Dimir called, giving a wave of her arm. Three more of the dark figures appeared. One wore a yellow scarf tied around it's right ankle, the second wore a white scarf tied like a blindfold over it's eyes, and the last wore an orange scarf tied around it's left ankle. "Cover your eyes, Kyoka."

Dimir whispered the last part to Kyoka, who instantly shielded her eyes. Fitzgerald and his comrade caught on a little too late.

"Now, Shiro."

A blinding light suddenly lit up the area, blinding all of those who didn't cover their eyes. Even Twain, from his location far away, was blinded by looking through the scope of his gun. Dimir took advantage of the situation, bending her knees as she called for Gure. Gure shrank, flying to Dimir's collar to cling there. Ao and her shield vanished and, with a little help from Lolita, Dimir bolted forward, springing out across the water. Lolita added enough punch to her steps that she easily cleared the water, bouncing off the rail on the other side before rocketing forward once more.

"Orenji, track." Dimir called. "Ki, gun mode. Energy bullets, no real bullets."

Orenji, her orange figure, turned into a tracking device that latched itself to her right wrist. Ki, the yellow one, turned into a gun that landed in Dimir's left hand. Dimir, now bouncing from one building to the next as she followed the energy from Twain's shots all the way back to him, gave the gun a disgusted look.

She really did hate guns.

When she finally located Twain, it was on the top of a tall building. Dimir, since she already knew where he was, sent Orenji back to Kunikida and the others in order to get someone to come back her up.

Twain, thankfully, didn't see Dimir coming until, in a flash of lightning bolts, she was standing in front of him, a gun aimed at him. Twain scrambled back from her as she fired, the first shot missing and the second grazing his leg. Twain cursed as he fell back on his butt, gripping his leg.

"Hurts, doesn't it? Now you know how my companions feel." Dimir told him, still aiming the gun at him.

"Yeah, certainly hurts like hell. Not as much as this will, though." Twain said, raising his sniper rifle.

Dimir raised an eyebrow at him. He had to be kidding, right? A sniper rifle...with her that close? Yeah, it would be like hitting the broad side of a tree, but Dimir was fast and in such close quarters, she should have the advantage. So when he pulled the trigger, she jerked to one side, avoiding the bullet.

"Really, now, that was just a waste of tim-"

Dimir was cut off as something hit her, hard, from behind. Her eyes widened as Twain grinned. Stumbling forward, Dimir winced as she gripped her left shoulder. Okay, so that was a grave miscalculation. Dimir turned her eyes to Twain, his ability showing itself. She blinked when she was confronted with the two small, boy-like figures that appeared. If she had to venture a guess, they acted like homing beacons for his shots, which meant, no matter how many times she dodged, the bullets would just follow her.

"Tom, Huck...let's show the lady how we do things." Twain told the two.

Dimir reacted as fast as she could, bolting from the building top in a flash of lightning as Twain pulled the trigger once more. She crashed into another build top, sliding to a stop. From there, she saw the shot curving right for her. She jumped again, avoiding the shot as it crashed into the roof where she had just been standing. Twain took the next shot while she was still in mid-air. Dimir let out a cry of pain as she went plummeting towards the ground below.

Dimir, despite knowing how much more energy it was going to cost her since she had already used Lolita and Ten Dark Women, used The World Like The Wind to slow her descent, but even with that, she still crashed into a pile of crates on a construction site below with enough force to completely break them. Pain flared to life all throughout Dimir's body as she coughed, blood bubbling up from her lungs. She was sure something had pierced her body somewhere. It wasn't a position she could afford to be in and black webs were already starting to creep up on the edge of her vision.

Despite that, she could see the approaching form of one of Twain's little boys. If she could make Twain think she had died, then he would just leave her there, giving her friends the chance to find her. So, despite her pain, Dimir slowed her breathing, calming herself until she was barely breathing. When the boy reached her, she held her breath altogether. The boy looked her all over, even put an ear next to her mouth is order to try to hear her breathing.

Folding his arms behind his head, the boys floated back from her, giving her mangled body a once over.

"Well, Twain's gonna be disappointed she died. Oh, well."

With that said, the little figure floated off, returning to his master to inform him that she had died in her fall. While Twain didn't relish the idea of telling Fitzgerald that he had accidentally killed Dimir, at least it meant one less ability user going up against them.

Dimir, on the other had, released her breath once Twain's ability creature was gone. Opening her eyes as wide as she could, she stared up at the sky above her.

 _Guess there's no chance of that little black out thing happening and saving me again this time, is there?I'll just have to have faith in my friends,_ she thought to herself.

The black webs thickening, Dimir let her eyes drift close. It felt like only a second to her, but when she heard someone calling her name, she forced her eyes to open, just slightly. She found the sun setting and Yosano, Kunikida, and Junichirou standing over her.

"What did you go and do to yourself this time?!" Kunikida snapped at her.

"Atsushi...Kyoka...Guild..." Dimir managed to get out.

"Okay, okay, we got it. Just stop talking. I'll have you better in no time." Yosano told her.

"The...they think...I'm...I'm dead...let them." Dimir told them, trying to get out what she needed to before she passed out. "Find...Atsushi and...Kyoka..."

"We got it, be quiet!" Kunikida told her. "Or do you really want to die?!"

The three watched as, even in pain and losing blood quickly, Dimir smiled, her eyes drifting close. It was almost as if she was amused.

"Wor...ry...wart..."

Dimir trailed off, her head rolling to one side.

"Dimir?! Hurry and heal her!" Kunikida told Yosano.

"You don't have to tell me!" Yosano snapped back.

Pulling all the board free of her body, Yosano activated her ability. With how badly Dimir had managed to damage her body, Yosano didn't have to do anything to bring the girl to the verge of death in order for her ability to work. For a few minutes, the three remained silent while Yosano worked. When Yosano finally sat back on her heels, Junichirou peered over her shoulder at Dimir.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She should be fine when she wakes up. We should get her back to base." Yosano replied.

Being as careful as he could be, Kunikida gathered Dimir in his arms and the three rushed to leave the site. They would have to report to Fukuzawa what Dimir had told them, but they wouldn't be able to get the full story until Dimir woke up, which, judging by the fact that she had sent one of her Ten Dark Women to them, and had acquired new electrical scuff marks on her boots, she had used two abilities at once, again, so there was no telling when she would wake up.

Hopefully it would be before more crap could hit the fan.

-0-0-0-0-

It was almost a week before Dimir awoke again.

By the time she finally cracked her eyes, they had already figured out that the Guild had managed to take Atsushi and Kyoka had been arrested by the police. Yosano was sitting at Dimir's bedside when the girl finally opened her eyes. At first, Dimir was groggy, unsure of where she was, until she turned her head and found Yosano, magazine in hand, sitting in a chair beside the bed.

"Akiko?" Yosano looked up when Dimir called her. Dimir pushed herself up into a sitting position, rubbing a hand over her face. "How long was I asleep?"

"Six and a half days." Yosano replied.

"Oh, really? Oh! Hey, what about-" Dimir cut off when she turned to ask Yosano a question only for the woman to suddenly grab her in a hug, holding her tightly. "Akiko? Is something wrong?"

"How reckless can you be?! If we had gotten there just a few minutes later, you'd be dead and there would be no way to bring you back!" Yosano snapped at her, hugging her tighter. "Really, just how foolish can you be?!"

Dimir didn't need to read minds and she didn't need Yosano to say it for her to know how much she had worried her. She could feel it in the subtle shaking of Yosano's body as she held her. It had been so long since she had to actively consider what her choices would do to those around her.

Perhaps it was time to relearn.

"I'm sorry, Akiko. I underestimated the one I went up against. It won't happen again, I promise." Dimir told her.

"It better not! I've had to heal you more in the last few weeks than I have anyone else in the last year." Yosano told her, holding her by the shoulders so she could look her in the eye. "If this keeps up, I'm going to start thinking you like my treatments."

"Yeah, no. That is **definitely** not the case." Dimir assured her. "But what about Atsushi and Kyoka?"

"The Guild has Atsushi. As for Kyoka, she was arrested. We'll take care of it, don't worry. For now, we need to get you some food and get you back to form." Yosano told her.

"Alright."

With how much her stomach was growling, Dimir was not going to turn down food. She was probably going to be able to put back more food than Atsushi and Kyoka combined. Yosano made her clean up and change clothes first. After trading the gown someone had managed to get her into for knee-length, black pants, a simple, sleeveless, yellow long top, and ankle boots, Dimir was presented with a spread of food enough to feed two or three people.

She had just finished all the food when Kunikida went storming past them, heading for the stairs leading to the roof.

"Mr. Doppo?" Dimir called after him.

Kunikida ignored her, making his way for the roof. Dimir watched the stairwell and it wasn't long before Dazai came rushing down the stairs with Kunikida, ordering that chains be brought in. Dimir stared in confusion as they chained Kunikida to a chair.

"What's going on?" Dimir asked.

"See the hand print-shaped mark on his neck?" Dazai pointed out.

"Yeah. What is it?" Dimir asked, peering at the mark.

"It's the mark of the ability of a psychotic boy name Q. It's a mind control ability." Dazai said, going on to explain it to her.

"Mr. Doppo is a victim of this ability?" Dimir asked.

"Yes. He's restrained, so we should be fine." Dazai assured her.

For a long moment, Dimir, Dazai, Yosano, and Kenji, just stood in a semi-circle around Kunikida, watching him. For a long time, nothing happened. Then Kunikida's eyes shifted to the side, as if he could see something none of the rest of them could.

"Hey, Dazai...it's starting!"

And it was then that the crap really hit the fan.

END

Kyandi: This chapter was a little on the shorter side.

Dimir: Hence why she's posting two chapters.

Kyandi: Yep. That, and I really like the events that take place in the next chapter.

Dimir: You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?

Kyandi: Yes, I am. Anytime I get to write you, Chuuya, and Dazai all together, is fun.

Dimir: What about that combination is fun?

Kyandi: Dazai and Chuuya bickering like children!

Dimri:...They're grown men. They shouldn't be bickering.

Kyandi: Yeah, but they do. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Dimir: We'll be right back.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	11. Double Black and Lightning Strikes

Kyandi: We're back!

Dimir: This is going to be an interesting chapter.

Kyandi: You bet! Also, I just love how you "punish" Dazai.

Dimir: Hey, if it works, it works. Why mess with a non-violent way of punishing a man like Osamu?

Kyandi: Good point. With that, let's jump right into this. You ready?

Dimir: As ready as I'm ever going to be.

Kyandi: Good! Everyone, enjoy and review!

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs!

Chapter 11 Double Black and Lightning Strikes

All over the city, hell broke loose.

Dimir, who could act like a human taser, was sent out, along with Dazai, in order to somewhat help quell the destruction, as well as to help Dazai in locating Atsushi. Dazai was sure the boy would find a way to escape any moment. Dimir, though, was far more concerned with helping the people of Yokohama. She knew Atsushi could take care of himself.

So she went separate ways from Dazai, wearing a sleeveless hoodie, the hood drawn up over her face.

Across the city, Chuuya was busy with his own men, trying to do something about the hell hole their city had become.

"Guard the traffic network with your life! Shoot anyone who dares make a run at us!" Chuuya called. "If this keeps up, there'll be nothing left of where we conduct our business! This is an order from the boss: Guard it with your life!"

Chuuya grit his teeth as something nearby exploded. At this rate, Yokohama was going to burn to the ground. When the smoke cleared, Chuuya was confronted with a group of controlled people swarming him. Preparing himself to have to hurt these otherwise innocent people, Chuuya was taken by surprise when there was a flash of electricity, like that of a lightning bolt, that suddenly flashed between him and the people charging him before slipping between each of the people and returning to stand in front of him.

It was only once the flashing light was gone that he found each of those people laying on the ground and a hooded figure standing in front of him.

"Honestly, you don't have to shoot them if your people have access to tasers."

Chuuya blinked in surprise as the figure turned and lift the hood enough for him to get a look at the face beneath.

"Dimir?!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, Chuuya." Dimir greeted with a smile.

"What are you doing here?!" Chuuya demanded.

"Um...helping? You don't need to kill them just because they're being controlled." Dimir told him.

"Why would you help me after..."

Chuuya trailed off, unwilling to remind her that he had been the one to rat out where her friends had been hiding to the Guild. Dimir blinked at him in confusion for a moment before she figured out what he meant.

"Oh, that? Chuuya, haven't you ever heard of forgive and forget? Honestly. I might have ended up with a concussion for my troubles, but it's nothing to want to kill you over." Dimir told him. "Besides, I've already told you once...Life is life. It makes no difference to me if that life is Armed Detective Agency, Military Police, politician, civilian, or Port Mafia. All life is precious and shouldn't been given up so simply. If I can save a life then I couldn't care less who or what the person is. Let the gods be the judge, not me."

Chuuya stared at Dimir as she turned, scanning the messy scene before them. His men were being over run by those being controlled. It was all they could do not to have to kill everyone on sight. Dimir hummed to herself for a moment before she reached up to adjust the hood on her head.

"Alright, Chuuya, do me a favor and have your men hold their positions very still. I'll help you clear all these people out of the way without having to kill them." she told Chuuya.

"What are you going to do?" Chuuya asked.

"Well, I'm a human taser, aren't I?" Dimir asked, giving him a wink.

Chuuya jolted in surprise, but he was slowly realizing that it was best to do as she said if she was asking him to do it. After all, he didn't want to lose anymore of his men.

"Everyone, freeze! Don't move an inch!" he yelled, all his men coming to a stop.

In a flash, Dimir went to work. She moved too fast for him to keep up with, but every single person that came anywhere near them, was zapped, falling unconscious where they had stood. To Chuuya's surprise, Dimir kept this up, helping his men field the incoming threats without having to kill a single person. She really didn't seem to have a problem with saving a Port Mafia member who, later, probably would turn on her and try to kill her.

Thankfully, by the time Dimir started to grow tired, all those being control, finally came to a stop, the curse of Q's ability finally being lifted. Of course, they were still left with a city half destroyed. Dimir finally came to a stop, her eyes scanning the people as they came back to their senses. Chuuya came up behind her, looking out on the scene too.

"Atsushi must have gotten the doll to Osamu." Dimir remarked before turning her eyes to Chuuya. "You didn't lose anymore men, did you?"

"Not after you showed up." he told her.

"I'm glad I could help. Any life spared is a good thing." Dimir remarked, her eyes shifting, though, to the bodies of those who had already been killed before she could show up. Chuuya watched in surprise as remorse and genuine sadness over took Dimir's expression. "I only regret that I could not have helped save more. I must go find Osamu and Atsushi. You be careful with yourself, Chuuya."

Before Chuuya could say anything to her in return, she was gone as she had come, in a flash of light. He stared off the way she had vanished. He really had to wonder about the girl, and, at the moment, there was only one thought he wondered.

Would he ever have a meeting with her in which she didn't leave him speechless?

-0-0-0-0-

"Arghhhhhhhhhh. So unmotivated."

Dimir turned in her chair to look over at Dazai who was currently flopped across a couch. The man looked like he was bored out of his mind. It was still too early in the morning for him to already be so bored. And Kunikida said about as much.

"Stop squawking like a broken trumpet so early in the morning, Dazai." Kunikida told him.

"But right now I don't even have the energy to talk to people, Kuni-whatever." Dazai replied.

"Imma throw you out, you piece of non-flammable trash, bastard." Kunikida retorted.

"Now, now, Mr. Doppo, there's no need for that." Dimir called back to him as she turned back around and went back to the work set before her. "Besides...humans are flammable."

"Ahh...even eating is so much trouble. If only breathing can fill a stomach." Dazai said, reaching for a bag of food laying beside the couch, pulling out a banana which he then proceeded to try to eat without peeling.

"If peeling a banana is too much for you, just starve to death." Kunikida snapped at him. "This city was saved from destruction thanks to you, Dimir, and Atsushi."

"I actually didn't do anything but keep mafia members from shooting innocent people." Dimir called over her shoulder, but Kunikida ignored her.

"Why are you like this after just a day?" Kunikida demand of Dazai.

"'Cause...the director has assigned me the next mission. I wanna sleep till the end of the world, like a log." Dazai replied.

"Logs are flammable trash." Kunikida retorted. "Now that you mention it, the Director had a very long conversation with Atsushi yesterday."

"That was probably over Atsushi's idea and Osamu's current mission." Dimir remarked.

"Correct." Kunikida and Dimir turned as Fukuzawa entered the room, Dimir greeting him with a "good morning" to which he gave her a nod in return. "Dazai. How is the negotiation for a secret meeting with the mafia boss going?"

"Well, it's in progress." Dazai replied.

"Do you think he will come?" Fukuzawa asked.

"He should. Since this is the perfect chance to kill you, Director." Dazai replied.

"That is still preferable to seeing my members bleeding or dead." Fukuzawa said before peering out of the side of his eyes at Dimir. "Dimir."

"I was just about to leave, sir. I will gather Miss Kouyou first." Dimir said, getting to her feet.

Kunikida watched as Fukuzawa turned and left the room after giving Dimir a nod. Curious, Kunikida turned to look at Dazai.

"Hey, Dazai, fill me in. A secret meeting...with the mafia boss?" Kunikida asked.

"Yeah. Atsushi's proposal has developed into an incredible plan. Even with the Guild as our largest threat-"

"Hang on, hang on, hang on! In any case...first of all, why would **you** be the one arranging for this secret meeting?" Kunikida demanded.

"I've said it before, haven't I, Mr. Doppo." Dimir said, drawing his attention to her. "Osamu was once apart of the mafia. I did guess that right in the whole Guess-What-Dazai-Use-To-Do game, didn't I?"

"Yep, you did!" Dazai replied cheerfully. "Everyone knows that now but you, Kunikida."

Kunikida, with this new piece of information, seemed to freeze on the spot. Dazai and Dimir stood before him, Dimir waving a hand in front of his face, but Kunikida didn't react.

"Kunikida?"

Dazai poked Kunikida, the man collapsing to the ground, too stunned to react. Dimir blinked down at him before looking at Dazai.

"Well, it's official...you finally broke him, Osamu." Dimir said, Dazai laughing lightly. "Now...clean him up off the floor while I'm gone."

With that, Dimir turned on her heel and left the room, leaving Dazai to take care of the mess he caused.

Sometimes, Dazai had to wonder how it ended up with **him** taking orders from **her**.

A mystery he probably would never solve.

-0-0-0-0-

Across town, Mori, the Port Mafia boss, was standing in the lobby of one of the mafia buildings, staring down at the bodies of his men being laid out across the floor. Chuuya stood at his side, reaching up to pluck his hat off his head in respect for the men who had lost their lives in the last attack from the Guild.

"How many casualties?" Mori asked.

"We've lost eighteen direct members. If we're also counting people working for our sub-organizations, about a hundred." Chuuya replied. "It irks me to say this, but if Dazai hadn't nullified the doll's curse, the number of casualties would've been ten times the current figure. Even more so in regards to both members and locals if Dimir had not come to our aid."

"As the boss, I really can't raise my head in front of my predecessor." Mori remarked.

The sound of the automated doors behind him opening, had Mori and Chuuya turning. In through the doors, came Kouyou with a hooded figure beside her. Chuuya had a pretty good idea on who it was before she ever lowered her hood.

"Oh, Kouyou! Who is this?" Mori asked approaching the two.

"It's been a while, **Doctor**. I see long tales are as ever prominent for members of the mafia as they ever have been." the person reached up, pulling back the hood to reveal that it was Dimir.

"Ah! Young Dimir. You see, though, I wasn't lying. I did use to be a doctor." Mori told her, grinning down at her.

"And I use to be a street urchin, but I no longer **claim** myself as one, sir." Dimir replied.

"You know the boss?" Chuuya asked.

"Hello to you too, Chuuya. And yes, I had the pleasure of meeting him a while back, though he failed to accurately tell me who he was." Dimir replied, ever polite despite standing among enemies.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Chuuya demanded.

"I was evicted by Dazai from the Detective Agency. He said keeping a useless hostage would serve nothing but increasing expenditure." Kouyou said.

"Actually, I believe it was Mr. Doppo who said that last part. Osamu was merely repeating it." Dimir remarked.

"Yes, well, the lass was just seeing to it that I returned safely." Kouyou said, looking down at Dimir.

"That, and I was tasked to play envoy." Dimir said, pulling an envelope out of her pocket to hold it out to Mori.

"I believe it's an invitation to the Agency Director's tea party." Kouyou remarked.

Smiling, Mori accepted the envelope from her.

"I see. So it has come to this." he remarked, looking down at the envelope for a moment before looking up at Dimir. "I am surprised to see he would send you. Does he not fear we will detain you?'

Dimir blinked in surprise for a moment before a truly cheerful and amused laugh left her. Quickly covering her mouth as she smile, her eyes narrowed in merriment.

"No offense, sir, but I do believe we both already know the answer to that. After all...you have already seen me effortlessly escape from one of your strongest and fastest members. Not to mention that I have escaped attempts from both your members and the Guild, on multiple occasions. By this point, I'm honestly not concerned. After all," Dimir raised a hand to her shoulder, a small, dark figure wearing a grey scarf, stepping out from its hiding place under her hair. "I have gotten to the point where I never go anywhere without, at least, one ability being activated."

Dimir idly stroked the head of the figure, her lips curling into a smile. Mori's eyes latched onto the little figure, a smile spreading across his face too.

"Oh, so you admit that you have more than one ability." he said.

"I believe you already know the answer to that question too. After all...you saw two of them, yourself." Dimir replied.

"And, exactly, how many do you possess?" Mori asked.

To his amusement, Dimir simply raised one finger, holding it in front of her mouth as she gave him a wink. It was her way of saying that, that part, was a secret she wasn't willing to share. Chuuya was surprised to see just how comfortable Dimir was. Even if she did have an ability activated, she still should have been wary, standing there.

"Interesting. Why don't you come work for me?" Mori offered.

"You are the second person, in the matter of just a few weeks, to offer me that. Sorry to say, I am a detective of the Detective Agency and I am quite happy where I am. I don't believe I would be of much use to you for I would spend my entire time doing nothing but being miserable." Dimir told him honestly. It was then that Dimir's eyes snagged on the bodies being laid out and the smile vanished from her face. "My condolences. I wish I had been faster to help."

Mori followed her eyes to where she was looking. He let out a humorless chuckle, confused and surprised by the genuine sympathy in her tone.

"Helping your enemies? I would think you would be happy that there are now less of us." Mori remarked.

"Life is life, sir. Irregardless of who or what they were in life, their lives were just a precious as anyone else's. I would not wish death on even the cruelest of my enemies." Dimir replied sternly, making Mori turn a surprised look on Dimir. "If I have to take a life, I do so grudgingly. If there is even a 0.01% chance of resolving something peacefully, then I will. They were people with families, lives, dreams, and goals, just like any member of my own organization. No one has the right to take that from another person."

"You are an odd one." Mori told her.

"You think? Funny, Osamu has said the same thing." Dimir replied. "My point being, though, is that you would gain nothing from having me on your side because I would never comply with any kind of orders that could end with the death of another. Anyway, I know you would never try to force me."

"And what makes you think that?" Mori asked.

"Osamu has shared many things with me, many... **secrets** that I'm sure you would not wish for me to repeat. It would be for both our mutual benefits that you never try to force my hand. I really do not relish the idea of resorting to blackmail if I absolutely don't have to. I would rather show respect to those older than I." Dimir told him, smiling brightly.

Mori paused for a moment, staring at the girl. Was she implying that Dazai had shared all of his mafia's secrets with her. If it meant keeping Dimir safely on the Agency's side, Mori didn't really put it past him to do such a thing. And, judging from what he had seen of the girl so far and the look in her eyes as she smiled up at him, he had a feeling that this young lady knew exactly what to do with the information.

"I'm sure I can tempt you to change your mind without resorting to such a thing." Mori told her.

"You believe so? Well, then, if you really wish to have another chance to convince me, you'll accept my director's invitation." Dimir told him, half turning away from them. "Until then, farewell."

Dimir gave Chuuya a smile and gave Kouyou a nod before she turned on her heel and headed for the door. As she walked, she reached up, pulling her hood back up. She walked through the door and vanished out onto the street beyond.

"She's an odd lass, but an honest one." Kouyou said. "Mafia life would not suit her, though she claims to have been born in the shadows."

"She's interesting, indeed, but, for now, I'll leave her as she is." Mori remarked.

Chuuya glanced up at his boss before turning his eyes back to the doors of the building. As more and more people found out about her abilities, Dimir was just opening herself up for more targets to be painted on her back.

He only hoped she didn't get in over her head.

-0-0-0-0-

The day of the proposed meeting between the Detective Agency and the Port Mafia, Dazai found himself waiting for the arrival of Mori. When the man finally showed up, it was with several of his own men from his Black Lizard squad. Dazai hopped down from his perch when Mori approached.

"Welcome, Boss!" Dazai greeted.

"It's been four years. Are you still wearing the coat I bought you?" Mori asked.

"Totally...burnt it long ago." Dazai replied.

"Boss of the mafia, Mori Ougai."

Mori looked up as Fukuzawa, Kunikida behind him, made his appearance, approaching him.

"Director of the Armed Detective Agency, Fukuzawa Yukichi." Mori replied.

The two met in the center of the clearing where they stood, facing off while their subordinates tensed up.

"Finally, the day has come." Fukuzawa remarked.

"The Detective Agency and Port Mafia...if the government higher-ups catch word that the heads of the two largest ability organizations in Yokohama are having a secret meeting, they will definitely be foaming at the mouth." Mori said, obviously amused by the thought.

"I shall get straight to the point. A certain newcomer at our agency has proposed that we enter **an alliance** with the Port Mafia and another newcomer has backed the idea." Fukuzawa said, Mori humming in intrigue. "I am opposed to it. Siding with an illegal organization goes against our policy. However, coming from someone whom has been subjected to the mafia's repeated violent treatments and even abduction and someone who I know never acts on such things without sound, logical reason, the proposal is unusually poignant. Thus, as the leader of the Agency, I must take it into serious consideration."

"Neither of us is destined to have it easy, eh?" Mori asked.

"My final decision is that even if an alliance cannot be struck, I would still like to call for a detente." Fukuzawa told him.

"What an intriguing proposal." Mori remarked.

"Reasons being, first and foremost-"

"Have you read T. Schelling?" Mori suddenly asked, cutting off Fukuzawa.

"Pardon?" Fukuzawa asked.

"What about J. Nash and H. Kissinger?" Mori asked.

"They are all academics that studied war strategies." Dazai said. "Someone's been stuffing all that into my head."

"I have read Sun Tzu." Fukuzawa replied.

"Wars between countries and wars between illegal organizations like the mafia, are not so different. Even if we violate an agreement, there is no one to sanction us." Mori started explaining. "What if the mafia suddenly breaks the detente? What if the Detective Agency betrays us? The party that abides by the detente will surely suffer heavy losses. And if a party actually benefits from breaking the pact, the detente agreement is null right from the start. The agreement will only stand if both parties are in perfect accordance, but..."

"That's impossible." Dazai finished for him.

"Exactly. We from the mafia take our honor and grudges very seriously. And many of us here have suffered at the hands of you folks from the Detective Agency." Mori said.

"My subordinates have also been targeted by you lot multiple times, if I recall?" Fukuzawa retorted.

"But nobody died. Much to the disgrace of the mafia." Mori shot back.

"...hmm. How about this? We settle all our scores, right here, right now." Fukuzawa replied.

Gin and Tsuchihara rushed forward, trying to defend their boss from any attack. Fukuzawa, however, was faster, cutting down Gin's own blade and Tsuchihara's gun. Mori, though, moved just as fast, drawing a scalpel and holding it to Fukuzawa's throat, though Fukuzawa's blade ended up pointed at Mori's throat too.

"I thought you have sworn off wielding your katana, Fukuzawa, long swordsman "Silver Wolf"?" Mori remarked.

"Using a mes to kill. Your lack of medical ethics has not changed one bit, Doctor Mori." Fukuzawa shot back. "Do you still have a fetish for young girls?"

"Well, aren't you still muttering to cats these days?" Mori asked.

To Mori's surprise, the image before him begun to fade away, revealing it had been the effect of Junichirou's Light Snow and that Fukuzawa stood several feet from him, sword still sheathed.

"An ability that can produce solid projections?" Mori asked.

The sound of crackling electricity, drew Mori's attention back to in front of him where the fake Fukuzawa had stood. There, her fingers just a few inches shy of his throat and a smile on her face, was Dimir. She had probably been hidden within the illusion. Electricity crackled around her fingers, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"I beg of you, Mr. Mori, sir, not to force my hand by attacking my director." Dimir told him.

"And here I thought you said you don't like killing." Mori replied.

"Oh, I don't, and I won't. That being said, a zap to the throat at this range could seriously ruin your day. And it's just a short distance to your brain. I might not kill you, sir, but I can most definitely ruin the rest of your life. Please don't make me do so. My mother would roll over in her grave if I was to be so disrespectful to my elders." Dimir told him, smiling before she spun on one foot and hurried to Dazai's side, her hands clasped behind her back.

When she reached Dazai, she hopped up, claiming a perch beside him on the wall he was sitting on. Tucking one ankle behind the other, Dimir folded her hands in her lap, content to sit back and watch until she was needed.

"Well, this has been a lovely meeting. Let's leave the rest till the next time, on the battlefield." Mori said, turning away from Fukuzawa.

"Tonight, the Detective Agency will mobilize to retrieve Q." Fukuzawa called after him.

"So?" Mori asked.

"Just for tonight, stay out of our way. For our mutual benefit." Fukuzawa answered.

"Why should we?" Mori asked.

"Because this is the one thing we have in common. We love this city. As the inhabitants and protectors of this city, we must never let foreign ability users destroy it." Fukuzawa explained.

Mori turned back to face Fukuzawa.

"The Guild is powerful. The Detective Agency doesn't stand a chance against it." With this Mori turned and started walking away. "Til the next time, Dazai. The invitation to resuming your duties as an executive member in the mafia still stands."

"As if. Weren't you the one who forced me out of the mafia to begin with?" Dazai replied.

"I thought you left of your own accord?" Mori asked.

"Or could it be that you're afraid, Mori? That one day I would slit your throat and take over as the boss? Like what you did to your predecessor." Dazai remarked lowly. "Everyone seems suspicious to those who have an ax to grind. I, for one, am also against collaborating with you."

"Now, now, Osamu. There's no need to be sneakily nasty." Dimir lightly scolded.

"Aw, you're no fun, Dimir." Dazai replied, flopping back so that he was laying in her lap.

Dimir smiled lightly, and begun to stroke his hair idly, much like a mother would to her child. Mori was surprised to find just how comfortable Dazai was with Dimir. He had always been a rather laid back person, but Mori had never known Dazai to so easily give into another's orders unless they were coming from his boss.

It only made Dimir all the more interesting to Mori.

"My offer to you, too, young lady, still stands." Mori told Dimir.

"As sweet as it is for you to offer me such a thing, sir, as you can see," Dimir said, sweeping her hand to take in her and Dazai's current position. "I am perfectly happy where I am."

Dazai gave Mori a smirk as Dimir continued to stroke his hair. Mori wasn't certain as to what the relationship between the two was like, but he knew that look on Dazai's face. He knew the younger male was well aware of what a rare and special gem he had in Dimir and he had no doubt in his mind that Dazai would use that against the mafia if he really had to.

Perhaps it was time to rethink a few things.

-0-0-0-0-

"So this is where Q is being locked up?"

It was late, the sky darkened as the night drifted on and Dazai found himself in the middle of the woods, looking at a small cabin. He stood there for a moment, considering how to go about this, when the whole area was suddenly flooded with light. Shielding his eyes, Dazai turned, coming face to face with Steinbeck, Lovecraft, and a good few dozen men.

"Good evening. Our tactician is very good at predicting the enemies' moves." Steinbeck greeted.

"A trap, huh." Dazai remarked, smiling lightly as the men pointed guns at him.

He wasn't too concerned, though. While he had a good feeling that Mori would, in fact, send someone, who actually showed up, only made Dazai heave a sigh. As boulders too big for a normal human to pick up, came raining down on them and the person responsible stepped onto the scene, the men turned on him, firing their guns. Not that it worked. The bullets were stopped by his ability, falling harmlessly to the ground.

"Let me make this clear first," The smoke parting, showing Dazai, Chuuya's displeased face. "Once these trash are taken care of, it'll be your turn, you hear me?"

"Ughhh. So it really came down to this. No wonder why I've been feeling so out of it since this morning." Dazai remarked.

"Impossible! This kind of ambush isn't covered in the strategic forecast." Steinbeck said, activating his ability.

"Hey. Sorry, but that's a no-no."

Dazai appeared beside Steinbeck, nullifying his ability. To add insult to injury, Chuuya came flying in, landing a solid kick to the side of Steinbeck's head with enough force it sent him flying several hundreds of yards into the trees.

"Urgh, this stinks to high heaven." Chuuya remarked, landing on his feet.

"I'm also hating every second of this." Dazai agreed.

The two tensed, turning, when two men with guns popped up behind them. Before either could react, someone slapped a hand on each of the gunmen's shoulders and when they turned to see who it was, electricity was let loose, zapping the men and sending them crumpling to the ground. Standing behind them, all of her hair save for her bangs, pulled into a ponytail and wearing a pair of short, orange shorts and a cropped off tank top of the same color over black tights and a skin-tight, black, short-sleeved shirt, paired with black boots and gloves, was Dimir.

"Dimir?!"

Dimir covered a laugh when the two males both exclaimed her name at the same time, both of them staring at her with open mouth shock. Giving them a big smile, she waved.

"Hello, boys." she greeted.

"What are you doing here?!" Chuuya demanded.

"Actually...Mr. Mori contacted me." If she had thought their shocked looks couldn't get any funnier, she was wrong. "He asked if I would be so kind as to do him a favor and come to make sure the two of you didn't kill each other. He said it would be a shame. The Director agreed, so here I am."

When all she did was smile at them so cutely, both groaned, slapping a hand to their faces. They knew exactly what this was. Mori, as well as Fukuzawa, had noticed how easily Dimir could tame even the fiercest of tempers and, knowing how Dazai and Chuuya got along, had sent the girl as their babysitter. And it was hard to be mad with the girl when she smiled so brightly at them.

"Something wrong?" Dimir asked, looking from one of them to the other.

"Nothing. Let's just get this over with." Chuuya said, Dazai agreeing.

"This is the worst day I've had in years." Dazai said as they approached the door to the cabin.

"Why must I work with this guy." Chuuya grumbled.

When the two reached for the doorknob at the same time, they stopped, glaring at each other.

"Don't walk next to me." Chuuya snapped.

"Aren't you the one sticking to my side, Chuuya?" Dazai replied.

"Alright, boys, that's enough male ego bashing." Dimir pipped in, breaking the two up.

"Listen up. If it wasn't for the mission and Dimir, I'd have blown you up in one second. If you get it, stay at least two meters away from me." Chuuya told Dazai.

"Oh, yeah? Suit yourself." Dazai said, walking away.

"But-:

"Come on, Dimir. Let's give him his space." Dazai told her, pulling her back while Chuuya opened to the door to the cabin.

Inside, Chuuya found a trap door in the floor. While he opened it, Dazai, his one good arm wrapped around Dimir's shoulders as he laid his chin on her head, peered around the door.

"Dazai, ever heard of "Petrus"?" Chuuya asked.

"I have. It's a brand of wine so expensive that very few people in the world can afford it. It's certainly something I'll never get to try." Dimir remarked.

"Right. The night you disappeared from the organization, Dazai, I opened a bottle of Petrus 1889 to celebrate. That's how much I hate you, bastard." Chuuya said.

"Then good for you." Dazai said while Dimir muttered, "Lucky" under her breath. "Now that you mention it, I also celebrated that day by rigging your car with a bomb."

"So that was you?!" Chuuya snapped turning to look at Dazai.

"Osamu, you didn't." Dimir said, looking up at him. When all she got in reply was a smile, she knew he had, indeed, rigged Chuuya's car with a bomb. To Chuuya's surprise, Dimir elbowed Dazai in the gut, making him release her. "That's not nice, Osamu. It doesn't matter how much you dislike someone."

"Finally someone get's i-"

"There's never a reason to blow up a perfectly good car!"

Chuuya stared at Dimir with a deadpan look on his face when she cut him off and finished with something about cars. And here he thought she was going to stand up for him. Instead, she stood before Dazai, hands on her hips and one cheek puffed out in annoyance as she frowned at Dazai.

"It's not like it was a car anything like your's." Dazai told her.

"I don't care. You could have hurt someone...you could have hurt Chuuya! That's not okay, Osamu." Dimir told him, shaking a finger at him.

Okay, so maybe she was standing up for him.

In her own way.

Once she was sure she had gotten her point across, Dimir turned, and, leaving the two to follow her, started down the ladder to the hall below. Chuuya went next, Dazai bringing up the rear. When they reached the bottom, Dimir was already looking around.

"Ughh, this is getting on my nerves." Chuuya remarked.

"Is it me?" Dimir asked.

"No. Dazai's face and attitude and clothes all get on my nerves." Chuuya told her.

"I also hate everything about you, Chuuya. Except your fashion sense in shoes." Dazai said, going on ahead of Chuuya and Dimir.

Chuuya, surprised by this, lifted his right foot to look down at his shoe.

"Oh? Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course. Not. Your shoes are the worst." Dazai replied.

"You jerk!"

Dazai ducked as Chuuya swung a kick at him that, thankfully, missed. Dazai turned to him, smirking.

"It's no use. I know the timing of your attacks and your breathing pattern like the back of my hand." Dazai told him.

"That's it. I'm seriously gonna crush your skull." Chuuya declared.

"Enough!" Chuuya was taken by surprise when Dimir suddenly dived forward, wrapping her arms around one of his to hug it to her chest. Chuuya, his face going a little red, looked down at her as she hung off his arm, looking up at him with a pleading look. "We're suppose to be here on a mission, so, please, stop. Can't the two of you act your age and go five minutes without trying to harm each other? And that goes for you too, Osamu. Leave Chuuya alone."

While she probably meant for her expression to be stern and menacing, Dazai found it far too cute to be either, but he didn't say that to her face. He merely put his hands up in the air in surrender while she continued to cling to Chuuya's arm. Dimir nodded and turned her attention to Chuuya.

"Please, Chuuya? I promised my director that I'd bring Osamu home in one piece." Dimir pleaded.

"Wait! Are you implying that you think **he'd** win?!" Dazai demanded, pointing at Chuuya.

"In a straight up fight, no blackmail or other mind tricks allowed? Yes." Dimir replied honestly. Chuuya grinned widely while Dazai hung his head. Dimir was basically saying that Dazai was all brains, no action. "Anyway, in case you two didn't notice, we've found him."

Dimir pointed past Dazai. They had come to the end of the hall and were now in a room that was empty save for a boy being restrained by thick vines, and a chair that held the curse doll.

"That is the sleeping beauty waiting for rescue." Dazai said as Dimir released Chuuya's arm.

"Sleeping beauty, huh..." Chuuya repeated as Dazai started towards the boy.

"We have to cut off the roots. Lend me your knife, Chuuya." Dazai called.

Chuuya reached into his coat, looking for the knife he kept there.

"Huh? Okay...hmm? It should be right-"

"Ah. I've already swiped it just in case." Dazai said, cutting off Chuuya.

"You bastard..." Chuuya growled.

"Osamu." Dimir called in warning.

"I know, I know." Dazai told her, turning to the boy with the knife in hand. "Well then, let's get to work."

Dimir stiffened when Dazai, instead of cutting the boy loose, held the blade to the child's throat.

"Not gonna stop me?" Dazai asked, looking back at Chuuya.

"The boss has ordered me to bring him back alive. But judging from this distance, you'll kill him before I reach you. Besides, when I look at this brat, the sight of the body bags holding my subordinates who died from his curse starts dancing in front of my eyes. Do it." Chuuya told him, making Dimir's head whip around so she could stare at him.

"Really? Then I'll help myself." Dazai said, turning back towards the boy.

In a flash of electricity though, Dazai found Dimir suddenly standing between him and Q, gripping the wrist of the hand holding the knife so tight, Dazai was surprised by her sheer strength. He couldn't see her face with the way her head was tilted, her bangs hiding her eyes.

"Dimir..."

"No. You aren't killing him." Dimir said lowly, cutting off Dazai.

"Dimir-"

"I said no! I am well aware of what came from his ability, but just as we had no say in the abilities we were born with, neither did he. He's a child, for crying out loud! Regardless of whether or not he's killed someone...we aren't gods!" Chuuya froze as Dimir snapped this, the girl looking up at Dazai with a fierce look, her eyebrows furrowing together. Dazai knew just by looking into her eyes that she would never let him harm the boy. Chuuya, though, was frozen by the look in her eyes as she said the word "gods". It was almost...pained. "We have no right to decide who lives and who dies! You will not kill him, Osamu, do you hear me? You'd have to go through me first."

For a moment, Dazai was speechless, shocked by just how fiercely Dimir was defending a boy she had never met before. By this point, he knew Dimir well enough to know that she wouldn't budge on this and she would probably zap the mother-loving-God out of him if he tried. Recovering from his shock, he gave her a smile.

"Dimir...I'm not going to kill him."

"Wh...what?" Dimir asked, surprised.

"Now naive. Your goody two-shoes act also puts me off." Chuuya remarked.

"While Q is alive in the mafia's hands, my ability is indispensable as a safety catch, right? In that case, the mafia can't afford to kill me. It's a logical decision." Dazai said, giving Dimir a grin.

Dimir stared at him, blinking in utter shock. While she knew this was normally how Dazai was, she had never thought he would go so far as to toy with a child's life. It had her hanging her head in disbelief that she had actually fallen for his trick.

"So?" Chuuya asked.

"It's up to the mafia whether to kill him or not. Unlike the mafia, we didn't suffer any great losses. The victim at the Detective Agency was...we only had to put up with Kunikida's torrent of embarrassing yaps." Dazai told him.

"So an agent also got cursed? What happened afterward?" Chuuya asked.

"I recorded the whole thing, of course." Dazai said simply before turning to Dimir, who still had not budged from her spot. "So, now that you know, you can release m-"

Dazai was cut off when suddenly, before he could activate his own ability to defend himself, he was zapped. When he crumbled to the ground, twitching from the zap he had just received, Dimir released his arm. Looking down at him with displeasure, Dimir braced her fists on her hips.

"That wasn't funny, Osamu! As punishment, I refuse to be your pillow for a whole month." Dimir told him.

It sounded ridiculous to Chuuya, but, to his surprise, it was taken seriously by Dazai, who jolted back to himself.

"What? Come on, Dimir, it was just a joke. There's not need to be cruel." Dazai begged her.

"No." Dimir crossed her arms as she looked down at him. "What you just did was cruel. You can live one month without using me as a pillow."

 _What the hell is their relationship?!_

Chuuya thought this as he watched Dazai beg Dimir to change her mind, only for Dimir to turn her back on him, her arms crossed. In the end, Dazai cut Q loose, Dimir helping Chuuya to load the boy up on his back while Dazai grabbed the doll. With that, the three started back up to the cabin, Chuuya leading the way with Dimir right behind him and Dazai bringing up the rear.

"Hey, Shitty Dazai," Chuuya called, looking back at Dazai. "Give me that doll."

"No can do. I'll be keeping it for now, just to be on the safe side." Dazai replied.

"Ughh, dammit. You never listen to me, do you, extra-stuff-that-comes-with-the-bandages!" Chuuya retorted.

"What did you say? I don't wanna hear that from a hat rack like you." Dazai shot back.

"Tacky bastard!"

"Petite Mafia."

"Social misfit!"

Dimir heaved a sigh as the two threw insults back and forth. She was starting to think that nothing would make the two give up their dislike of each other.

"That kind of flimsy insult bounces right off me, you know." Dazai told Chuuya.

"Imma send your address to every woman you've left crying." Chuuya threatened.

"Hump. That's...actually, could you not do that?"

This made Dimir turn to look back at Dazai, raising an eyebrow as her hands went to her hips once more.

"Osamu...what did you do to those poor women?" Dimir demanded.

From the way a sweat broke out on Dazai's forehead as he turned his face away from her, Dimir had a feeling it was something she didn't want to know.

"You know what...make that two months."

"Dimir!"

Chuuya grinned as Dazai whined about Dimir bumping his punishment up from one month to two. Still grinning to himself, Chuuya lead the way to the door. Pushing it open, he stepped outside, Dimir right behind him. It was from a few steps behind him that Dimir saw the tentacle that suddenly wrapped around Chuuya's neck, yanking him up off his feet. As Chuuya lost his grip on Q, Dimir dived forward to catch the boy before he could hit the ground.

"Chuuya!" she cried out before her eyes locked in on Lovecraft as he approached.

Seeing him and how his head was all twisted around, Dimir slapped a free hand to her mouth. How could he still be alive when it looked like someone had put his head on upside down.

"For some reason, my shoulders have been feeling stiff. Since a while ago...have I worked my body too hard?" Lovecraft asked, before yanking Chuuya up into the air and flicking him into the side of the cabin.

"Chuuya!"

Dimir turned to the hole in the side of the building, only to find Dazai now standing on top of Chuuya. Dimir gathered Q in her arms and rushed over to the two.

"Hmm, as expected of an ability user of the Guild. Such incredible strength." Dazai remarked.

"Feet off!" Chuya snapped.

"Osamu, get off him! You're only going to make his injuries worse!" Dimir told him.

Dazai backed down, stepping off Chuuya while Dimir crouched to check on him. Assuring her that he was fine, Chuuya got back to his feet. Setting Q down and out of the way, Dimir joined them, the three watching, and Dimir wincing, was Lovecraft snapped his head back into place.

"Here it comes. What should we do?" Chuuya asked.

"Heh. It's nothing to sweat over. I can nullify this kind of attack with just my pinkie-"

Dimir jolted when the next attack smacked Dazai across the face. Chuuya turned out of shock to check on him.

"Chuuya, look out!" Dimir called in warning, already moving out of the way, herself.

Chuuya jumped out of the way, the two of them dodging Lovecraft's the tentacles curled back around, aiming for Dimir, Chuuya jumped in the way, punching them away from her.

"Thank you, Chuuya." Dimir told him.

"No problem. Come on." Chuuya told her. The two took the chance to go check on Dazai. "Hey, Dazai! That's sick. Did you get hit on the head?"

When Dazai looked up, Dimir gasped. There was blood splattered across Dazai's face. She rushed to his side, hand hovering inches from his face as she peered up at him.

"Oh, Osamu...you didn't bite your tongue, did you?" she asked, concerned.

Chuuya, on the other hand, was shocked to see that Dazai was actually pretty hurt.

"I'm fine." Dazai assured Dimir. "Those tentacles...are pretty strange. My ability nullifier is ineffective against them."

"No way. Seriously?" Chuuya asked, both him and Dimir staring at Dazai in shock.

"My ability nullifier makes no exceptions. So that leaves only one possibility...that isn't an ability." Dazai told them.

"That can't be..!"

Dimir and Chuuya turned to look at Lovecraft. If it wasn't an ability then what was it, because Dimir had never seen anything like it.

"Hey, that's a hell of a joke. If that's not an ability, what else can it be?" Chuuya demanded.

"Can't be helped. Let's use that from back then. Operation "Shame and Toad". How does that sound?" Dazai asked.

"Huh? Shouldn't we use "Rain Falls Outside the Window Frame" or "The Fake Flowers Deceit"?" Chuuya replied.

Dimir looked between the two, confusion written on her face. She had no idea what the two of them were talking about.

"Chuuya, have my battle strategies ever been wrong?" Dazai asked.

Chuuya starred at him for a long moment before clicking his tongue in annoyance. He was about to agree, despite not wanting to, when Dimir suddenly grabbed both of their arms and yanked.

"Have you two forgotten about me? I'm here too and I have no idea what you're talking about." she complained.

Both of them looked down at Dimir and then at each other. What they did next, to Dimir, showed just how much time they had spent together. Both of them laid a hand on her shoulders, giving them a pat.

"You just leave this to us." Dazai told her.

"Yeah, sit back with the kid." Chuuya added.

Dimir, her jaw dropping at just how sexist that sounded, turned to watch them walk away from her. Part of her knew it would be rude and mean to hope they messed up, but another part of her, the more humanly correct part of her, wanted to be spiteful. Instead, though, she merely frowned and waited. Maybe they would need her help, maybe not. She would find out.

From where she stood, she watched as Dazai approached Lovecraft, seemingly harmless, only acting as a decoy for Chuuya who, thanks to his shorter height, was hidden behind Dazai. When he was close enough, Dazai ducked, letting Chuuya clear him in a leap and attack Lovecraft. Dimir winced, feeling her stomach turn as Chuuya punched a fist right through Lovecraft's chest, using that to activate his ability.

Lovecraft, his body becoming too heavy for a normal person to bare, crashed into the ground.

"I have the ability to manipulate the gravity of whatever I touch. Stay there till the sun comes up." Chuuya told Lovecraft.

"Nicely done." Dazai praised sarcastically.

"Sheesh...lording over me as if I were a shepherd dog." Chuuya remarked, turning to him.

"I would've used a shepherd dog if I had one. But since I don't, I had to settle for Chuuya." Dazai replied.

"You bastard...May you die as the rottenness spreads from your core to the rest of your body!" Chuuya snapped.

"Then may you also die as your hat consumes your mind, Chuuya." Dazai replied.

"Chuuya, Osamu, look out!"

They had only Dimir's called warning before one of Lovecraft's tentacles flew past them, seemingly taking off Dazai's injured right arm before knocking him to the side. Chuuya turned to look at Lovecraft, only to be confronted by a huge monster as it rose several stories over his head. Chuuya made a dash for Dazai just as Dimir did.

"Dazai...your arm..." Chuuya voiced.

"Chuuya...before I die...there's something I want to ask you..." Dazai gasped.

"W...what are you talking about?! You can't possibly die in a place like this-"

Chuuya cut off, both he and Dimir staring at Dazai with blank looks as Dazai popped his arm out of his torn sleeve, the appendage completely untouched. Dimir was so unamused by this latest joke that when Chuuya grabbed Dazai by his collar, threatening to pummel him, she did nothing to stop him.

"If I'm to fight with injuries, of course I'd come prepared." Dazai told Chuuya.

"If you have time for magic tricks, hurry up and think about what to do with that stuff of nightmares!" Chuuya snapped, pointing towards the monstrous creature that had to be Lovecraft.

"Oh, forget it! Let's just be sitting ducks! We only have one move left!" Dazai replied.

"One move...you want to use "Tainted"?" Chuuya asked.

"Tainted? What's Tainted and why do I not like the look on Chuuya's face when he says that?" Dimir asked.

"We've been known as the "Double Black" since the night we annihilated the enemy organization along with all the surrounding buildings with "Tainted"." Dazai explained, Dimir still not really getting it. Instead of focusing on her, Dazai looked at Chuuya. "However, if I step in too late, you'll die. Your call."

"Die?" Dimir repeated.

"My call, you say? Like I really had a choice whenever you say something like th-"

" _ **NO!**_ "

Both males looked down at Dimir when she yelled that one word in an almost desperate sounding voice. When they looked at her, both were surprised to find a panicked expression on her face as she gave her head a shake. She latched onto Chuuya's arm, holding tightly.

"Dimir-"

"No! Why...why should we put his life on the line! It's not right and it's not fair! We can come up with something else, anything else. Anything that won't risk his life." Dimir insisted.

After how many times, that day alone, she had surprised him, Chuuya would think he would be use to it, but seeing how strongly she was against him risking himself, shocked him all the same. Especially when he noticed how much her hand gripping his sleeve, shook. He was touched, far more than he probably should have been. Laying a hand on hers, he pried her hand off his sleeve, giving her a smile when she looked up at him.

"Don't worry about me. You just make sure that this jerk doesn't back out of his part." Chuuya told her. Dimir stared at him with wide, fearful eyes as he released her hand and turned, taking off, calling back to Dazai. "I'll remember this, emo!"

"Do your best, simpleton." Dazai replied.

"Enemy of all women!" Chuuya snapped.

"Double Black(small)."

"Who the hell's (small)?!"

Dimir, her hands gripped before her, watched Chuuya as he yanked off his gloves, throwing them aside. Dazai laid a hand on her shoulder, making sure she didn't try to go to Chuuya once she saw what was about to happen.

"O, Grantors of dark disgrace...do not wake me again!"

Dimir's eyes widened when she heard the phrase Chuuya said to trigger Tainted. She had never met another ability user who, like her, had a phrase that would trigger the ultimate form of their ability. And what a horrible form his took.

Dimir watched in wide-eyed horror as a dark energy rolled off Chuuya, dark marks spreading up his arms from his finger tips. It was obvious, just looking at his face, that there was no thoughts present. It was like Chuuya had turned into a mindless machine with only destruction as it's one and only purpose. She didn't even notice Dazai leaving her side until she heard him speak to Steinbeck who had regained consciousness.

"Wanna know, loser from the Guild? That is the ultimate form of Chuuya's ability." Dazai told Steinbeck as the three of them watch Chuuya relentlessly attack Lovecraft, destroying everything around him. "In his Tainted state, Chuuya can manipulate surrounding gravitons and increase the density of his own body. He can crush a tank with his bare hands. The projectiles made of compressed gravitons are voids that consume all matter. However, he can't control that ability on his own. Once he activates it, he'll keep on raging till he dies."

Hearing that only increased the concern Dimir felt for Chuuya. Despite him working for the natural enemies of her own organization, Dimir liked to think that she and Chuuya were friends. It hurt her to see one of her friends hurting himself so.

"Still...what on earth are those? No matter how many Chuuya chops off, they grow back in an instant." Dazai remarked. "As his colleague, surely you know what that thing really is."

"Hump. Even if I do, I have no reason to tell you, do I?" Steinbeck replied.

It was then that Dimir noticed that blood was beginning to pour from Chuuya's mouth and nose.

"Osamu, he's bleeding!" Dimir called in concern.

"Yes, Chuuya's at his limit." Dazai said.

"Unfortunately for you, Lovecraft can't be destroyed from the outside." Steinbeck said idly.

""From the outside"? In other words, it'll work if it's an attack from within, right?" Dazai said smugly.

Dimir turned to look at him when she heard that tone in his voice. That tone usually meant something very bad for those around him. She turned just in time to see the little switch in his hand. Before she could question what it was, he hit the switch, an explosion rocking the area and blowing a hole in Lovecraft's armor of tentacles. Even without conscious thought, Chuuya went for the weakness, attacking with the biggest projectile Dimir had seen yet. The resulting blast blew Lovecraft to bits and left a crater behind, Chuuya standing in the middle of it.

Even with the enemy gone and blood now pouring from his mouth and nose, Chuuya continued to rage. Dimir looked at Dazai, but Dazai didn't seem quite ready to stop him. Worried that Chuuya really would kill himself, Dimir darted forward.

"Dimir!"

Dimir ignored Dazai calling her name and made a b-line right for Chuuya. She let out a squeal, guarding her face when Chuuya let off a blast near her, wincing when a large chunk of rock hit her right elbow. Pushing back the pain, Dimir pushed on, reaching out to grab Chuuya's arm.

"Chuuya! Stop!" she cried.

Chuuya whipped around, seizing her already injured arm in a horribly tight grip that had her crying out in pain. He raised his other hand, ready to blast her away too.

"Chuuya, please!"

Dimir looked up at him, giving him a pleading looked, reaching out to cup the side of his face with her free hand. To her surprise...he actually stopped, hesitating as if, for a moment, rational thought had returned to him. Looking down at Dimir, tears of pain in her eyes, her touch on his face, gentle, he hesitated. That was enough of an opening for Dazai to step in, grabbing Chuuya's upraised hand to nullify his ability.

Dimir watched as the dark marks that had appeared on Chuuya, faded, and rational thought returned to Chuuya's eyes.

"The enemy has already been destroyed. Rest, Chuuya." Dazai told him.

Dimir gasped in surprise when Chuuya fell limp against her, dragging her down to the ground with him. He finally released her arm, allowing her to wrap her arms around his chest in order to keep him from flopping over.

"Dammit...Shitty Dazai...Why didn't you stop me...the moment it was over...?" Chuuya demanded.

"I wanted to, but it was funny." Dazai replied.

Half draped over Dimir, Chuuya raised his head enough to glare at Dazai.

"I trusted you...and used Tainted...make sure you take me...back to base...safe..." Chuuya told him.

"Leave it to me, partner." Dazai promised him.

Dimir put a hand back, to brace herself when Chuuya slumped completely against her, out cold. Part of her was concerned about him, but there was another part, a smaller part, that was freaking out because of the fact...Chuuya's face was nestled between her breasts while the rest of him was sprawled out across her body.

It was embarrassing.

To make matters worse, Dazai was more than happy to leave Chuuya there, knowing that Dimir was having trouble trying to move him.

"Unbelievable...that Lovecraft actually got..." Steinbeck turned his eyes to Dazai. "Who the hell are you?"

"Enemies of baddies, I guess." Dazai replied before turning to Dimir. "Alright, let's head home."

"What about Chuuya?" Dimir asked.

"Just leave him."

Dazai came to a stop when a rock bounced off the back of his head. Rubbing the back of his head, Dazai turned to find Dimir frowning at him.

"I'm not leaving Chuuya here. He could be hurt, or taken captive, or worse...he could catch a cold." Dimir argued.

While, normally, Dazai would be more than happy enough to humor Dimir, he was so done with this situation and wanted nothing more to do with Chuuya that night. Dimir could see it in the look on his face. Dazai watched as Dimir's cheeks puffed up and he knew she was about to be stubborn.

"Fine, then I'll take him home myself." Dimir said.

Dazai watched, partly in amusement, as Dimir struggled her way out from under Chuuya and managed to get to her feet and heave Chuuya up onto her shoulders. She was very grateful that Chuuya wasn't any bigger than he was, or she would not have managed it.

"Tell me where he lives." Dimir demanded.

"Like I know." Dazai replied, turning and walking away.

"Osamu!" Dimir huffed when he vanished into the trees. "Fine. I guess I'm just going to have to figure this out for myself. Thank the gods I brought my own car."

Slightly annoyed and repeating "ow, ow, ow" under her breath as her arm continued to hurt her, Dimir started towards her car, dragging Chuuya on her shoulders. When this was all over, she was going to punish Dazai properly.

"Forget two months...I'll make it six."

END

Kyandi: Like I said...I love your way of punishing Dazai.

Dimir: You make me sound so incapable of a bad thought.

Kyandi: That's because, for the most part, you are incapable of bad thoughts.

Dimir: We'll see as the story goes on.

Kyandi: As the story goes on, Dazai and Chuuya have a bad influence on you.

Dimir: It's not just them.

Kyandi: You got a point. Okay, well, I have other stories to work on, so let's wrap this up.

Dimir: Sounds good to me.

Kyandi: Everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye


	12. A Day In The Life of Dimir

Kyandi: Greetings all!

Dimir: It's early this week, but we have a new chapter for all of you.

Kyandi: Yeah, I'm going on a retreat this weekend, and leave tomorrow, so I'm posting this week's chapter early.

Dimir: Also, she's still kind of recovering from a concussion from a car wreck last week.

Kyandi: That I am, so if you find a mistake, I'm sorry. I'm still having a little trouble focusing.

Dimir: So please forgive her.

Kyandi: Right. Also, I have a new poll up on my page about a possible Halloween special, so go vote!

Dimir: I think that's all we have to announce?

Kyandi: Yep. So, everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.

Chapter 12 Day In The Life of Dimir

The moment Chuuya awoke, he fully expected to find himself still laying where he had passed out. When he did wake, however, he found himself cradled in the soft folds of a bed that was far too soft and piled with pillows to be his own. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the morning sun-lit, cream colored ceiling of a room that was definitely not his.

Wondering where the hell he had ended up, Chuuya, despite his body protesting, pushed himself into a sitting position. He found himself sitting in a bed piled high with pillows and blankets all in either a shade of blue, yellow, or orange. Looking around the room, his eyes traveled over a vanity and dresser, a desk in one corner, an open balcony door through which he could see a little coffee table, the open door to a bathroom, and a wall of bookshelves crammed to the brim with books and picture frames.

Not sure as to whose room it was, Chuuya finally realized something else...he was dressed only in his pants.

Looking down at himself, he found that all of his clothes, save for his pants, were missing. Someone had obviously undressed him and bandaged the wounds he had obtained while using Tainted for there were bandages covering his skin. He knew it couldn't have been Dazai for the man couldn't care less what happened to him, so that left only one of three options. Either an enemy had picked him up, a stranger had found him and brought him home, or...

Humming getting louder, drew Chuuya from that thought before he could complete it. Looking up towards the door leading out of the bedroom, he watched as, humming to herself, Dimir appeared, a basket of clean clothes cradled in her arms. The moment she saw him sitting up in bed, she came to a stop, a smile curling her lips.

Yeah, this was the third option.

Dimir had brought him home with her.

"You're awake! I'm glad. I was starting to wonder if you were going to fall into a coma." she told him, heading for the dresser to place the basket on top of it. Once that was done, she turned to him. "You've been sleeping for two days."

"Two days?!" he repeated.

"Yes. Not that I blame you. All I do is sleep and eat for a few days after I use more than one of my abilities in a row. I imagine Tainted uses the same, if not more, energy than that. But you woke up just in time. I'm making breakfast. Wait there and I'll bring you some when it's done." Dimir told him before leaving the room once more.

Chuuya could only blink after her. He had known that Dimir didn't begrudge him for being apart of the mafia, but this was taking that to a whole new level. Though his body was yelling at him to do as she said and stay put, Chuuya tossed the blankets aside and got out of bed. Walking stiffly, he made his way over to the door she had vanished through. There was a short step of five steps that lead down into the hallway.

Following the hall, he found a spare room to the left and a laundry room to the right before the hall opened up into a huge living room. Two couches lined a glass-top coffee table with a love seat on the end, a fifty-two inch TV screen set up opposite of the love seat. A long set of three steps lead up into the modern kitchen with an attached dinning alcove. A table big enough for six sat in the alcove and it was there that he found Dimir.

The girl was sitting in one of the chairs, humming to herself as she worked on sewing something in her hands. He noticed, then, that her hair was currently pulled over one shoulder and braided, probably to keep it out of her face as she cooked, and she was wearing an apron over an orange sundress and white, thigh-high stockings. She had just finished sewing up what she was working on when she looked up and found him leaning against the wall, watching her.

"Oh! Chuuya! You should have stay in bed." she said, sitting aside her sewing to get to her feet.

"I'm fine." Chuuya insisted as she rushed over to him.

"Are you sure?" she asked, eyeing him.

"Yeah. Are you mental, or something? What kind of person brings an enemy to their house? Especially an enemy man? You're a girl who lives alone for crying out loud!" he retorted. An amused smile curled her lips then, the girl obviously finding his question to be funny. "What?!"

"Chuuya, the fact that our two organizations currently have a truce, no matter how fragile it is, aside...I know you wouldn't do anything to me." she told him.

"And what the hell makes you think that?!" he snapped.

"Because...you're a man of more honor than that."

Chuuya was taken by surprise by the soft smile that appeared on her face, but more so by her statement. She thought him honorable despite the fact that he was a mafioso? If he had thought her weird before, than the feeling had only doubled.

"Besides...you already used my breasts for a pillow for, like, twenty minutes." Dimir added. Chuuya felt his cheeks burn with a blush, which only made Dimir's smile grow. "That aside, I already told you once, Chuuya. All life is important to me. Osamu might have wanted to leave you there, but I couldn't. There was no telling what could have happened to you if we had, and, well...Osamu wouldn't tell me where you lived, so I had no choice but to bring you here." Dimir told him, half turning back to the kitchen. "Well, now that your out of bed, why don't you come have a seat and I'll get you something to eat. You have to be starving."

Turning away without offering to help him to the table, she headed for the kitchen. Chuuya was sure that she hadn't offered to help him because she knew it would prick his pride. She kept her back to him as he stiffly made his way to the table. When he pulled out a chair and dropped to sit in it, he found that what she had been sewing, was his clothes.

"Are these my clothes?" he demanded.

Dimir turned towards him, pausing in the middle of spooning rice into two bowls. Her eyes landed on the pile of clothes on the table top.

"Oh! Yes, they are. I just finished up sewing up all of the rips in your vest. Sorry I wasn't able to do the same for your pants, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have taken it well if you had awoke in my bed in nothing but your underwear." she told him, smiling sheepishly turning back to put rice in bowls. "Not to mention that I know that some men aren't fans of underwear and I wasn't willing to bet you weren't among that percent of men."

Chuuya felt his ears go hot at the meaning behind her words hit him. He could tell that her cheeks had gone a little pink and was sure that the idea of removing his pants would have been embarrassing for her regardless of whether or not he was wearing underwear. He was grateful she had decided not to take the gamble.

"Anyway, I had to get you a brand new shirt completely because between the ripped-to-shreds sleeves and all the blood stains, it just was not savable." Dimir continued, setting dishes on a tray before carrying the tray over to the table.

She sat the tray down before moving the clothes to one of the empty chairs. Turning back, she transferred the dishes to the table. Chuuya found himself supplied with a hearty breakfast fit for two people. She took the tray back to the kitchen before she joined him, sitting across from him. When she was settled, she clasped her hands before her to offer thanks for the meal. It was then that he noticed.

The majority of the length of her right arm, from about mid forearm to her bicep, was wrapped in bandages

"Dig in." Dimir told him when she finished her prayer.

She laid her injured arm down and reached for her chopsticks.

"What happened?"

Dimir looked up at Chuuya to find him focused in on her injured arm with laser focus. His expression was displeased and serious as he stared at the bandages.

"Don't worry about that." she told him, smiling as she once again reached for her chopsticks.

She was stopped, once more, when Chuuya suddenly, but gently, grabbed the wrist of her injured arm. Dimir turned her eyes to his hand and then to his face, finding him staring at her intently.

"What happened?" he repeated his, his tone a little more gruff this time.

Dimir could see that he wasn't going to let this go, so she was sure he had somewhat guessed that he was responsible for the injury. Heaving a silent sigh, Dimir laid her free hand on top of his that was gripping her wrist.

"Chuuya," Chuuya looked from her hand and back to her face, finding a gentle smile on her face. "I said not to worry about it. Besides, it was my own fault. I should have left it to Osamu, but...he seemed to be taking too much pleasure from watching you destroy yourself. I couldn't stand by and watch you hurt yourself anymore, so it's my fault for getting in your way."

Giving his hand a squeeze, she gently pried it off her wrist and set it aside, pulling her injured arm back. She smiled at him, before turning her attention back to the food before her. Chuuya watched her as, with a smile on her face, she picked up the chopsticks and got to eating.

"You're just gonna forget it, just like that?" Chuuya asked.

Sometimes, he really didn't understand this girl.

"Yep. Like I said, it was my own fault. I was just glad that you stopped after that. I thought Osamu was the only one that could stop you when you were like that, so I was pleasantly surprised when you seemed to hesitate on your own." Dimir told him.

Chuuya, shocked, stared at her, his brain taking a moment to work over what she had just said.

"Wait, it wasn't Dazai that stopped me?" he asked.

Dimir looked up from her food when she heard the surprise in his tone. She gave a shake of her head.

"No. When I got in your way and tried to stop you, or, at least, prompt Osamu into doing so, and got hurt, you hesitated. It was like, for a moment, you realized what happened and tried to bring yourself to a stop. It was only then that Osamu stepped in." Dimir told him. "Has that never happened before?"

"Never." Chuuya replied.

"Huh, well that's strange. I wonder why it would happen now." Dimir remarked, blinking in confusion. He watched her head tilt to the side, her expression thoughtful. "Could it be..."

Chuuya raised an eyebrow as she trailed off and gave her head a shake. For a moment it sounded like she might have an idea as to why he had acted the way he had while in his Tainted state, but then a look of frustrated confusion fell on her face.

"Nope, I can't think of a single thing." Dimir said finally, heaving a sigh. "Sorry."

"It's not your problem anyway." Chuuya told her.

"Well...oh! A little off topic, but Mr. Mori got in contact with me when you didn't return that night. I let him know that you were fine and resting. I promised him you would return once you were able." Dimir told him.

Chuuya stared at the cheerful look on her face as she casual spoke about chatting with the leader of the mafia. She was even smiling as she told him how Mori was more than happy to leave him in Dimir's capable hands.

"Wait...why would he be happy about that?!" Chuuya demanded.

"Probably because he knows you'll be safe with me."

Chuuya felt his spike of annoyance drain away when she smiled at him. As much as he wanted to be annoyed by the mere insinuation that he might need her to protect him, he was finding it was really hard to be angry with Dimir when she honestly was just trying to be sweet and nice and when she smiled at him like that.

"Really? How?" he demanded.

"Well, I've already made it clear that I won't kill someone else, so he knows I mean no harm to you and it's already been made plenty clear that I won't allow anyone else to hurt you while I'm around, regardless of the fact that I'm sure you can defend yourself against any of my colleagues." Dimir told him truthfully.

"Yeah, about that...what exactly is your deal? A normal person wouldn't treat their enemies like you do." Chuuya said tartly.

"I'm not normal."

The way she said that...Chuuya was taken by surprise as she sat down her chopsticks and leaned back in her chair, giving him a sad smile. He had a bad feeling that he had just said something wrong and he felt a painful thud in his chest as he looked at that sad smile.

"Come on, Chuuya, be reasonable. Can you honestly look at me and say anything about me is normal?" she asked.

"Well, I..."

Chuuya trailed off, unsure of what to say here. Dimir just gave him a smile, letting him know, without words, that it was alright if he couldn't think of anything to say in argument.

"Just think about it. Part of my hair went old before I did, I'm an abnormality with multiple abilities instead of the standard one, my brain clearly doesn't work like others', and when others would simply run, or think about themselves, I rush head long into something that shouldn't even concern me, always getting hurt for others and then smiling like an idiot like everything's just fine. Even I know there's something wrong with me."

Even as she said this, obviously repeating words that others had spoken to her, she smiled brightly, as if she couldn't bring herself to hold against others, the cruel things they had said to her. Now he understood why he somewhat liked her. Dimir, regardless of what others said about her, would never change who she was.

"So to answer your question as to what my "deal" is," Dimir said, continuing on. "Yeah, I know I'm not normal, and that's fine, that's just who I am. I just...I don't believe in judging another until I've gotten to know them for myself. It doesn't mean I'm excusing the things people have done in their lives, it just means that I know everyone has a reason for the things they do. We all make mistakes and make choices that, sometimes, only make sense to us. It could be for survival, for another, or something purely selfish. The reasons are endless. After all...that is what it means to be human, right? Free will?"

"I guess." Chuuya replied.

"So that's my deal. Regardless of the fact that your in the mafia, and, therefore, suppose to be my enemy, I don't know...I just like you."

Chuuya nearly choked on his own saliva, his cheeks heating up when Dimir bluntly stated this, smiling at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" he demanded.

"I like you, Chuuya. Yes, we work for opposing organizations, but I like your spunk and how, despite our loyalties, you've been nothing but kind to me. I like how, when I look at you, when you look at me, I see no judgment in your eyes. You're one of the few people I've met who didn't instantly judge me. You're not a bad person, Chuuya, and I won't listen to others tell me otherwise."

Chuuya, unable to believe his ears, stared at Dimir. He had no idea what to say in response to her words. He was use to others being around him because they either wanted or feared his power, or because they had to. His power had been the reason the mafia wanted him and why his previous group had wanted him and, then, had tried to kill him.

Dimir, though, didn't care about his power. She liked him for who he was and despite the fact that he had helped put two of her friends in danger. It baffled him and seeing the expression on his face only made Dimir's smile grow.

"Speechless? I told you my brain doesn't work in a normal way." Dimir told him.

"T-this goes beyond that!" Chuuya sputtered.

"Does it? Does it really? By now you should know me well enough to know that I have no qualms with stating my thoughts and feelings, Chuuya. If I like someone, regardless of whether or not it makes sense to others, I'm going to say so. Are you going to say you don't like me?"

Chuuya opened his mouth, automatically, to deny it, as he always did in an embarrassing situation, but had enough forethought to slap a hand over his mouth. Trying to hide the blush he could feel burning in his cheeks, Chuuya turned his face away from Dimir. Why she had to be blunt about her feelings, he didn't know. Seeing him turn away from her like that, though, had her giggling.

"You're too cute when your expressions are more honest than you, Chuuya." she remarked.

"Alright, cut it out!" Chuuya snapped at her, finally catching on to the fact that she was teasing him.

Dimir's giggles turned into a full blown laugh. She couldn't help it. He made it far too easy and fun to tease him.

"Teasing aside, I meant what I said, Chuuya. You might be in the mafia, but I still consider you a friend." Dimir told him. "And, sadly, for you...you're going to have to deal with my teasing for a few days. Mr. Mori said he wants you to stay here and rest until you're back to one hundred percent."

"He did?!"

Dimir nodded, turning back to her food.

"So eat up. If you're staying here, even for a night, you're not getting off easy. You're going to need your strength."

Chuuya's eyes snapped up to look at Dimir when she said this. Her words could be taken in many different ways and each one was worse than the last, but she offered no more information. Chuuya didn't even know what to think.

All he knew was...he didn't like the grin on her face.

-0-0-0-0-

"Di...Dimir! That's too tight! Ahn!"

"I said relax, didn't I?"

Chuuya was about two second away from blowing his top and the teasing laughter he could hear in Dimir's voice wasn't helping.

"My goodness, be a man. I know you can handle it." Dimir remarked, shifting before Chuuya let out another yelp. Dimir let out a soft giggle then. "You're so cute when you're flustered, Chuuya."

"Shut up! How do you even wear these things?!" Chuuya demanded.

Dimir, who was currently bent over behind him, looked up from where she was trying to adjust a seam on a corset she was having him model so she could make the right adjustments. Smiling in amusement, she turned back to her work.

"A woman's body is built for pain, Chuuya. How else do babies get here? I've dealt with far worse pain than this little thing has ever given me. You should worry more about the inability to breath that accompanies it when you first wear them." Dimir told him, making him look over his shoulder at her. "Besides, by adjusting this on **you** , it'll give **me** a little wiggle room. Now relax, already. I'm almost done."

Though he would rather be out of the stupid corset, Chuuya stood still, letting Dimir finish her adjustments. He heaved a big sigh or relief when she finally finished and released him from the corset's death grip. He bent over double, pressing a hand to his chest as she carried the corset over to coffee table of her living room.

"Alright, now on to the next one." Dimir said.

"More?!" Chuuya demanded.

Dimir, chuckling lightly to herself, turned to face him, holding up the shirt she had in her hands.

"Just the shirt I bought you. You can't continue to walk around my home naked from the waist up and I need to make sure it actually fits. After all, I was just guessing when I bought it." she told him.

"Oh."

Chuuya took the shirt from Dimir, just glad that it wasn't another corset. While Dimir turned towards her sewing kit, he pulled the shirt on, buttoning it up. When he made a noise of surprise, she turned to look at him. Chuuya was adjusting the cuffs, rolling them back as he normally did with his shirts. To his surprise, the shirt fit just like any of the ones back home in his closet.

"It fits great." he remarked.

"Maybe..." Dimir circled him, tugging here and there as she checked the fit.

Chuuya spread his arms out wide when she came to a stop in front of him, adjusting the way the shirt hung from his shoulders. Humming to herself, she checked the length of the shirt before nodding to herself, as if satisfied.

"I thought it might fit. I'm glad to see I was right." Dimir remarked.

"You know a lot about being a seamstress, don't you?" Chuuya asked.

"My mother taught me. She said that the key to a successful woman, along with hard work and heart, is good clothes that fit well. She taught me that clothes don't have to cost a small fortune to look great. We use to have fun going to second-hand stores and buying clothes to bring home and fix up anyway we wanted. They didn't even have to fit because we could adjust them ourselves." Dimir told him, smiling fondly.

"Your mother, huh...What about your father?"

Chuuya couldn't help but ask. As someone who wasn't born, but created, he didn't have parents. Dimir, he knew, was an orphan who had spent most of her life on the streets. It was the first time he had heard her speak of either of her parents, so it had him curious.

"I never knew him. He was a Russian-American here on vacation when he met my mother. She didn't know she was pregnant until months after he went back home. She found out, a few years later, that he passed away in a boating accident. My mother and her mother raised me." Dimir told him.

"And...what happened to them?"

He wasn't trying to make her upset, or drudge up any memories that would make her sad, he just...couldn't contain his curiosity. Dimir, though, didn't seem the least bit upset.

"My grandmother passed away from illness when I was only five. Afterward, my mother decided that, perhaps, a change in scenery would be good for us, so we took a long journey. Two years long, in fact. Somewhere along that road to anywhere and nowhere...my mother was killed. I was seven."

Chuuya turned to Dimir as she walked away from him, picking up the stack of his clothes she had been mending. She removed pins from the cloth, her smile soft and a bit sad.

"What happened?" Chuuya asked.

"She was mugged. He came out of nowhere, pulling a gun on her. Her thoughts, naturally, were on protecting me. When she yelled at me to run...he opened fire." For a moment, Dimir's hands stopped, Chuuya sure she was lost in the memory. She stood like that for a moment before she snapped herself out of it, going back to her work. "He turned on me next, but I moved faster. One of his shots grazed my side, even left a scar, but I zapped him before he could actually hurt me."

Dimir paused for a moment, laying a hand on the left side of her ribs, just under her breasts. She rubbed the spot, as if the memory made the old wound ache.

"I ended up in Michida three years later." Dimir finished with a sigh. Turning, she gave him a smile as she brought his clothes over to her. "Let's check to make sure I didn't create any unflattering lines when I sewed up the rips."

Chuuya took his clothes from her, piece by piece, and pulled it on, Dimir checking each piece before letting him move on.

"So...what happened?" Chuuya asked suddenly as she tugged on his vest, checking it.

"When?" Dimir asked idly.

"You said your mom died when you were seven and that you ended up in Michida three years later. What happened in that three year time?" he asked.

"Mostly it was just me jumping from location to location, scared out of my mind because I had no idea where to go or what to do to survive. I figured it out eventually, but it didn't help me at the time. There was, though, about a seven month period that I can't remember at all."

Dimir looked up when Chuuya whipped around to stare at her. Not getting, at first, why he was gaping at her, Dimir blinked back at him in questioning before she asked why he was staring at her.

"You can't remember **seven months**?!" Chuuya half yelled.

"Yeah. It's not a big deal. It happened a lot." Dimir replied, moving past him.

"A lot?! Do you know how crazy you sound, right?!" Chuuya demanded. "Is something wrong with you?! Are you even okay?!"

"Chuuya." Chuuya, who had been close to jumping into a long string of questions, cut off when Dimir softly called his name. She turned to him, smiling softly at him, truly touched by the concern he had unintentionally shown. "It's fine. I started having these black outs when I was four. There are times when I lose only a few moments, sometimes hours. Other times it's days. Those seven months were the longest I've ever blacked out before, but it wasn't the only time I did."

"And you move when you have them?" Chuuya asked, shocked.

"Sometimes. Sometimes I wake up in a new location, other times I wake up after getting into a fight. Which I did just the other day."

"You really are crazy."

Dimir turned to look at the sour look on Chuuya's face as he stared at her. A smile curled her lips as she folded her hands together in front of her.

"Perhaps. But I'm fine. Anyway, enough about me. I feel ridiculous sharing my sob story." Dimir told him sheepishly. "I need to go to the market if you want dinner tonight."

"Market?"

"Yes. Do you want to come with me?" Dimir asked.

He certainly didn't want to stay in her apartment by himself. So, after Dimir changed, coming out of her room in a white sundress and orange, thigh-high stockings, and making sure everything from breakfast was put up, Dimir grabbed her wallet and keys. Chuuya watched her lock up and followed her down to her building's parking garage.

"You drive?" Chuuya asked.

"I do turn eighteen soon. I've been driving pretty much since I could see over the dash board. Not legally, but oh, well." Dimir replied, hitting the "unlock" button on her car remote. The car lights flashed and there was a beep as the doors unlocked. "I've been racing and drifting for about as long, too."

"Drifting? Racing? Isn't that illegal?" Chuuya asked, going to the passenger side door.

Dimir paused, looking at him over the top of the car. A grin curled her lips in a definitive sign of amusement.

"Now Chuuya, are you, a mafioso, going to scold me for doing something illegal?" she asked. "Because if you are, then I have to call hypocrisy."

Chuuya's back stiffened as she teased him. He could tell she was teasing him, but he knew she had a point behind all the teasing. He really didn't have any right to say anything about whatever law she chose to break.

"No. Do what you want." he told her, pulling open the door.

"Oh, I will."

The way she said that set off warning bells in Chuuya's head. He gave her a questioning look, but, grin on her face, she merely slid into her seat behind the wheel. Chuuya climbed in, too, closing his door. When that was all he did, Dimir reached across him and grabbed his seat belt.

"Seat belts are a must in my car, Chuuya. I don't break all of the rules." she told him, buckling it in place before buckling her own.

"What are you planning?" he demanded as she started the car and shifted into reverse.

"You're about to find out."

And then she punched it.

Chuuya instantly stiffened up, latching onto whatever he could grab as the car shot out of its parking space and rocketed backwards. Dimir pulled the hand brake as she yanked the stirring wheel, hard, to one side. The car whipped around, barely missing the bumpers of several parked cars parked across the aisle from Dimir's.

Putting the brake back, she shifted into gear and the car raced down the aisle and out of the parking garage. Another pull of the hand brake and yank of the wheel and Dimir swung expertly onto the busy street, instantly swinging around a car going to slow for her liking.

Chuuya hung on for dear life through it all.

"You okay over there, Chuuya?" Dimir asked. "Cause you're gripping my leg pretty tightly."

It was only then that Chuuya realized that, in his scramble to find something to grip, he had reached out, grabbing Dimir's thigh just above her knee. he didn't let go though. he had a feeling he wouldn't be peeling his fingers off anything until the car came to a stop.

"You're trying to kill me!" he accused.

"No, I'm not, Chuuya, so just breathe. If I was trying to kill you, I would have left you in those woods like Osamu wanted me to. Relax. I haven't crached a car since I first started drifting. That's been years." she assured him, reaching out with one hand to pat his knee.

Chuuya tensed further as Dimir swung around a turn at a crowded intersection, smoothly handling the car as if she did this every day. She certainly seemed to know what she was doing, her eyes never leaving the road. A glance at the speedometer, showed him that she was inching ever closer to one hundred-eighty kph.

"You're going too fast!" he snapped.

"You should see it when I apply Lolita to the car. This is nowhere near as fast I can go then."

"No!"

Dimir laughed, truly amused by how vehemently he shot down the idea. She had never taken him as one to be scared of a possible car crash. After all, she was pretty sure he could cause more damage than any car wreck could.

"You going to have a heart attack over there?" she asked.

"Yes!"

Another laugh.

"Okay, okay. I'll slow down. We're almost there, anyway." she told him.

Chuuya watched, with relief, as the needle on the speedometer, started to descend back down to safe levels. When she finally pulled into a parking space near the outdoor market, he released a sigh. Dimir put the car in park and turned it off before turning to him, laying a hand on the hand still gripping her leg.

"Chuuya, you can relax. I swear, I would never do anything to cause you harm. Even if you can't or won't return the favor. You never have to fear being in a car with me." Dimir assured him, smiling at him. "So...you can release my leg now."

Dimir gave his hand a pat before prying it off her leg. Chuuya let her, staring at her face. Once again, she had managed to shock him speechless. When she opened her door and climbed out, he followed her, closing his door behind him. Peering over the top of her car, he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"You expect me to believe that, when we come from enemy organizations?" he asked.

Dimir turned to look at him, still smiling sweetly. Chuuya could see the honestly of her next words, deep in her gold speckled, blue eyes.

"Have I not already proven it? Think about it, Chuuya. I could have hurt or killed you when I first met you and came up behind you. I could have watched you and your men continue to struggle and possible die when Q's curse nearly destroyed the city. I didn't, and, instead, helped you. I could have left you in those woods where anything could have happened, yet, I didn't. Three times I could have hurt you, killed you, or watched you die, and I didn't. Do you really think, after all of that, that I'll hurt you?"

Chuuya, left speechless in the wake of the evidence presented to him, just stared at her. Dimir took his silence to mean that he saw her point.

"Regardless of who we work for, I like you, Chuuya. I don't know about you, but I feel a kinship to you and I refuse to let others pick my friends for me. Believe me, Osamu has already tried it."

With that, Dimir closed her door and walked away. Muttering to himself, Chuuya swung his door closed, the lock beeping as Dimir hit the "lock" button on her remote. He hurried after her, catching up with her and jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Are you stupid?" When he demanded this, Dimir merely laughed. "Do you know what the Port Mafia could do with that information? My boss could use that against you. He's probably already planning to!"

"I'm well aware of what Mr. Mori is capable of, Chuuya. I might be a little ditsy at times, but I'm not blind or stupid." Dimir replied. "That being said, I won't let that control who I'm friends with. Or are you trying to say you don't want to be my friend?"

When Dimir turned a big pleading look on him, Chuuya grit his teeth. How was he suppose to say no to that face? It wasn't like he didn't like Dimir. In fact, he really did like her and her sweet and straight forward ways. She wasn't afraid to tell it how it was, and she did things her own way, regardless of what others wanted or thought.

He knew it was stupid and dangerous, but...part of him really wanted her in his life.

It was really rare to find someone like Dimir.

"I didn't say that." he said, turning his face away from her.

"Yhay!"

Chuuya sputtered, feeling his cheeks burn red, as, in her cheer, she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around one of his, a big smile taking over her face. To those they passed, they probably looked like a couple. It made Chuuya a little glad that none of his men were around.

He'd never hear the end of ti for more than one reason.

The moment they joined the early afternoon crowd, Dimir started dragging him about. Their first stop was a stall selling homemade jams and jellies. The woman running the stall, greeted Dimir like an old friend, Dimir asking her how her husband was doing.

"You know him...stubborn as a mule." the woman answered, shaking her head. "The usual, sweetie?"

"Yes, please. Add an apple butter jam to it this time, please." Dimir requested.

"Coming right up, hun."

The woman grabbed a bag from under the table and started stuffing a few jars into it. Dimir paid her and took the bag.

"By the way," The woman leaned towards Dimir. "I didn't know you had such a cute boyfriend. A little short, though, isn't he?"

Chuuya didn't know what to protest first; the fact that she thought he was Dimir's boyfriend, or the short comment she had made. He could no longer claim, as he had when he first met Dazai, that he was only fifteen and still growing, but that didn't mean people could call him short. Dimir, though, fielded the comment like a pro.

"Is he? I never noticed. To me, he's the perfect height to cuddle with."

"Dimir!" Chuuya exclaimed, his face heating, again, while Dimir grinned widely and the woman roared in laughter.

He wished he could say that he had seen that comment coming but, even when he should have known she would have come kind of comment like that up her sleeve, he still found himself being surprised. One just never knew what would come out of Dimir's mouth.

"Have a nice day, ma'am." Dimir told the woman before grabbing Chuuya's hand to pull him after her.

The woman giggled behind one hand as they walked away. Dimir turned to look at Chuuya when they were our of earshot of the woman stall.

"You really shouldn't get so flustered. It was just an old woman enjoying a little teasing and gossiping. No big deal." she told him.

"Oh, so you like them thinking you're dating a Port Mafia executive?" Chuuya demanded.

"Doesn't bother me."

Chuuya slapped his free hand against his face, groaning to himself. Sometimes, he didn't understand Dimir and had to wonder how she could say what she said with such a straight face.

"You're too laid back about everything." he told her tartly.

The heat in his face intensified when Dimir moved closer to him until she could lay her head on his shoulder, her grip on his hand tightening.

"I already told you, Chuuya...I like you. If people want to think we're friends or dating, or even thinking about eloping, I don't care. All that matters to me is what you call us. If you're willing to be my friend, then I'm happy to ignore everyone else and their comments. It's not up to others to decide what we are." she told him.

Dimir was so up front about the whole thing, he didn't know what to say. She was far more honest with herself than he was with himself.

Did he like Dimir?

If he was honest, yeah, probably more than he should.

She was like a breath of refreshing air with a smile as bright as the sun. She bluntly stated where she stood and wasn't afraid to speak her mind regardless of the situation. Something he wished he had more of in his life. Sometimes, even a mafioso just wanted some honesty around him.

Did he want to admit any of this?

No.

It was dangerous enough that she was willing to admit that she liked him and wouldn't fight him. Mori could really use that against her and the Agency. If Chuuya was to admit that, yes, he liked her, and, no, he didn't want to hurt her, then the Agency could use that against the Mafia.

It was a situation, and a relationship, that could end badly for them both.

For the rest of the day, these thoughts ran circles in his head. Dimir dragged him from stall to stall, from one end of the market place to the other, until her shopping was complete. They took the groceries back to her apartment, where Chuuya helped her to put them away. By the time they had finished shopping and putting away what they bought, they had missed lunch and it was closing in on six in the evening.

Instead of making Chuuya sit around and wait for her to cook something, Dimir took him to a favored restaurant of hers that was far out of the way. It was an isolated place, off a dirt road. The kind of place that ran off an exclusive circle of customers and one that people wouldn't "accidentally" stumble upon unless they were really lost.

It was a cute little place with a wide, wrap-around porch and a perfectly manicured lawn. The parking lot was detached from the building, people having to follow a cobblestone walkway across the lawn in order to reach the building. The inside, Dimir told him, was comfortable, lit by candlelight, with classical music playing softly in the background. It sounded like the kind of place where Chuuya could probably find a good vintage wine.

Dimir lead the way, the host greeting her with a big grin when she walked in through the doors. Apparently, Dimir was a regular customer on good, personal terms with the owner and head chef. He instantly had them seated at the restaurant's best table.

Once they were seated and Dimir had shed her trench coat, a waiter came over to take their drink order before leaving them to give them time to decide what they wanted. Chuuya turned to Dimir the moment he walked away.

"Do you make it a point to befriend everyone you cross paths with?" he asked her.

"Mostly, yes. There are some people that don't respond well to it, though. Like Akutagawa. He **really** didn't respond well. I tried to crack a few jokes with him, but yeah...didn't go well." Dimir replied, smiling brightly.

She...had tried to be friends with Akutagawa?! Had tried to joke with him?!

"Are you crazy?!" Chuuya hissed lowly.

To his shock, Dimir held up her forefinger and thumb, measuring out about an inch or less of space between them, as if saying "Just a little bit". Chuuya slapped a hand to his face, heaving a sigh.

"Honestly, Chuuya, you shouldn't be so uptight. Life it too short to sweat the small stuff. You're how old, twenty? Twenty-one?"

"Twenty-two." he corrected, not seeing her point.

"Twenty-two...did you know, my mother was only twenty-six when she was killed. Only four years older than you." Dimir told him. "My grandmother was considerably more lucky in that she lived a longer life. She was forty-one. Still pretty young, though. Both got pregnant young and both died young. Truth be told, nobody in my family has been incredibly long lived."

"What are you getting at?" Chuuya asked.

Dimir gave him a smile as she dropped her chin into the palm of her hand. She didn't say anything as the waiter chose then to show up with their drinks. Chuuya and Dimir gave him their orders and once he was gone once more, Dimir returned her attention to Chuuya.

"What I'm getting at is that...I probably will be the same as them...short lived." Chuuya opened his mouth to protest, but she merely shook her head. "If that's the case, I don't want to waste anything. I want to live my life to its fullest and on my own terms, doing things I want with whoever I want. That includes making as many friends as I can. If nothing else, I want to leave behind in my friends, how much I cared about them. So, yeah, I might be a little eccentric-"

"A little?!"

"-but I don't want to be there, at the end of my life, saying to myself, "I regret not doing this" or "I wish I have made more friends". After all...everyone needs a friend, right?"

Dimir grinned at him. Chuuya heaved a sigh and admitted defeat. It was hard to argue with someone who smiled so brightly even when she was talking about her own death. Not to mention, he saw her point. Her family had the misfortune of dying young and, if her life took that turn too, she didn't want to leave anything to chance. She didn't want to go to her maker, regretting something or wishing she had spent more time making friends.

When her life ended, regardless of when that would be, she wanted to be happy with the life she had lived.

Didn't mean he didn't find her weird for admitting it aloud.

"You're weird." he told her, leaning back in his seat.

"You think? Well...you haven't seen anything yet."

-0-0-0-0-

It was dark and raining by the time they left the restaurant. The only light between the building and the parking lot, was a single street lamp. Chuuya stood on the porch, peering out from under the over hanging at the weeping sky above.

"Shoulda brought an umbrella." he muttered, not wanting to get wet. "I'm staying right here until it lets up."

"Oh, Chuuya," Dimir giggled. "Are you afraid of a little rain?"

"No! Stop teasing me. I just don't want to get wet." Chuuya retorted, frowning.

"It's just a little rain." Dimir told him, making sure her trench coat was closed tightly around her, the belt tied securely.

Chuuya grumbled to himself, peering up at the sky once more, trying to judge how long the rain would last. When he heard a thunk behind him, he turned to find Dimir ditching her boots and pulling off her stockings.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, Chuuya." she told him before launching herself off the porch and out into the rain. She instantly raised her face to the sky and twirled, her arms spread out wide as if to welcome the rain. "It's learning to dance in the rain!"

Chuuya watched as she twirled, barefoot, about the the lawn, dancing through the rain. The rain quickly soaked her, her hair sticking to her skin. Chuuya really shouldn't be surprised after seeing all she had done since they met and, in fact, it was actually a little amusing to him to watch her prance around the soaked lawn.

"Ya know, I don't think that saying was meant to be taken literally." he called to her.

"But why not? It's fun!" Dimir replied before she danced her way back towards the porch. Stopping in front of him, she held out her hand to him. "Come dance with me, Chuuya."

"Are you insane? I just said I don't wanna get wet!" he retorted.

Chuuya flinched slightly when one of her cheeks puffed out. She stared at him like that for a moment before she reached up to grip her trench coat by the lapels.

"Fine. If you won't come dance with me, then I'll take this trench coat off. Just remember, my dress under this...is white." she told him.

"So?" Chuuya replied, not getting it.

"Chuuya...my undergarments are orange."

It took a moment for it to sink into his head why that mattered. Then his brain connected the dots for him, his face burning with heat for the umpteenth time that day.

White dress plus orange undergarments, plus rain equals...see-through clothes with very vivid colored spots.

Chuuya smacked a hand to the lower part of his face, trying to hide how red his face was getting at the mental image that popped into his head. Despite however she saw him, he was a healthy young man and the image just wouldn't go away. It really didn't need to actually see his mental image come true.

"No! Keep it on!" he yelled at her.

"Then dance with me!"

While he had a feeling he was going to regret this, just a little bit, later on, Chuuya, groaning to himself, took her hand. Dimir yanked him into the rain, Chuuya having just enough time to toss his hat over with her boots and stockings. Pulling him further into the rain, Dimir pulled him close, taking one of his hands into her own and placing the other on on her hip. When his hands were settled, she pulled him into a dance, ignoring the fact that they didn't have music.

"You know, the guy is the one that's suppose to lead." he told her.

"Haha...yeah, no, I lead."

Finally getting a little fed up with Dimir always setting the pace, Chuuya yanked her closer to him, his hand on her hip slipping around to her lower back. Surprised, Dimir looked up at him and, in the light of the sole street lamp, Chuuya could see her face turn red. Silently celebrating being able to make **her** blush, Chuuya pulled her into a dance where he was leading. Dimir stumbled at first, but quickly caught up for him, letting him set their pace.

She wanted him to dance with her, well, that was what she got.

Neither knew how long they danced like that, but by the time the rain picked up, forcing them to call it to an end, both of them were soaked to the bone. Collecting their things from the porch, Dimir laid towels out on the seat of her car and the two made their way back to her apartment.

"I have some spare clothes for you if you want to change into those and let me dry your current ones." Dimir told him as they entered the apartment.

She quickly made her way down the hall to her room. When she came back out, she had changed from her wet clothes into a nightgown and had a pile of clothes for him. Handing them over to him, she told him there were towels in the bathroom. Chuuya went and changed, making sure to dry his hair well. He came out of the bathroom ten minutes later, still toweling his hair dry, and found Dimir in the spare room.

She obviously used the spare room as an office/library with a desk against the far wall and bookshelves lining three of the four walls. A pull-out couch sat against the fourth wall and Dimir was currently making up the mattress, putting new sheets, blankets, and pillows out. she looked up at him as she adjusted the sheet.

"All dry?" she asked.

"Yeah. Is this where you slept while I took over your bed?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's actually a lot more comfortable than it looks. That being said, I would love to have my bed back, so you get to sleep here tonight." she told him.

He didn't have a problem with that. He knew he would want his bed back if he had just lost it for two days to someone else. He watched as she continued to make up the mattress, humming to herself as she did. When she was done, she turned and gave him a smile.

"Alright, there you go. If you need anything else, just let me know." she told him, walking past him.

Chuuya reached out, before she could get too far past him, grabbing her by the elbow. Dimir came to a stop, turning to look up at him.

"Uh...thanks, for...for helping." he told her awkwardly.

Dimir smiled at him and did something he hadn't been expecting. Reaching up, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"You're welcome. Good night, Chuuya." she told him before leaving him alone.

Chuuya stared after her, reaching up to scratch at his head. He didn't always get Dimir, but that wasn't always a bad thing. The fact that he couldn't easily tell what she was going to say or do, actually made him smile. Of course, he had his concerns about getting close to her because, one, the Agency could use that against the mafia, and two, he could get in a whole lot of trouble for befriending the enemy, but, maybe, that wasn't such a bad thing.

At least...he hoped so.

END

Kyandi: God, I would have been laughing my butt off watching him as he connected the dots.

Dimir: Really, he should have gotten it instantly. I mean, water and white clothes always yield the same results.

Kyandi: Yeah, well...some guys are just a little slower on the uptake.

Dimir: And it finally got him moving.

Kyandi: Oh, yeah. I just love writing the two of you together. You're always yanking him about.

Dimir: I'm just a girl who knows what she wants.

Kyandi: And who doesn't take no for an answer.

Dimir: That too.

Kyandi: Anyway, I have to get things packed for my retreat, so we'll leave it here. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Dimir: We'll be back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	13. Operation Infiltration

Kyandi: Heya, Kyandiacs!

Dimir: She's really happy right now.

Kyandi: Of course I am! I just got feed back from a professional editor and it was so good, I'm so happy!

Dimir: This editor liked her work and offered the edit the whole book for her.

Kyandi: I'm so happy and giddy, I can't even...I just can't...

Dimir: She can't speak English.

Kyandi: That! That!

Dimir: Since she can't speak proper English right now, I'll get things moving.

Kyandi: Nyaa~!

Dimir: Everyone, please enjoy and review. Kyandi-sama does not own My Hero Academia.

Kyandi: NYAA~!

Chapter 13 Operation Infiltration

The next morning, Chuuya was awoke by Dimir calling his name from the door of the spare room. Rolling over, Chuuya grumbled to himself and pulled the pillow over his head. He didn't know what time it was, but if the alarm on his cellphone wasn't going off, then he wasn't getting up.

Dimir wasn't having that.

He heard her footsteps as she walked across the room, coming to a stop at the side of the bed. He didn't hear anything else out of her and was just starting to wonder what she was planning when, without warning...she jumped on him.

Chuuya yelled, both annoyed and shocked when she landed on his back, instantly wrapping her arms around his neck.

"What the hell?!" he demanded.

Heat gathered in his face as she snuggled closer to him, rubbing her nose against the curve of his shoulder where it curved up into his neck. He could feel every curve of her pressed into his back and it was making it extremely difficult to hold on to his annoyance.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he demanded.

"If you won't get up, then I'm going to cuddle. Remember, yesterday I did say you were the perfect height for me to cuddle."

"Get off!"

"Nope."

Chuuya grit his teeth as she said the single word right into his ear. Every breath she let out, tickled his ear. This was not the position he wanted to be in, first thing in the morning. Deciding that getting up would, in fact, be the better idea, Chuuya tried to roll over and get her off his back, but now that she was there, Dimir wasn't budging. The two ended up wrestling, Chuuya trying to get out of the bed and Dimir doing everything possible to hang onto him.

"That's it!"

Chuuya threw his weight behind his next turn, yelling the two words. There was a gasp of surprise from Dimir before her back hit the bed, Chuuya instantly pinning her wrists to the bed as he rose above her. Surprised, all she could do, at first, was blink up at him. Then, as usual for Dimir, she smiled up at him.

"Good morning, Chuuya." she greeted, not the least bit nervous about the position she was in.

Any other girl, if they found themselves laying on their backs in bed with a man pinning them there, would have been nervous, scared, or excited. Dimir, on the other hand, was just...Dimir. She smiled at him as if they were merely sitting across the table from each other and talking. It was hard to feel anything but put out.

"Do you ever do anything like a normal girl?" he asked.

"There's no such thing as normal, Chuuya. Besides...who wants to be a copy cat?"

Grumbling to himself, Chuuya released her, getting up out of the bed. Groaning at how tired he felt when he just woke up, Chuuya rubbed at his face. He found himself praying for whatever poor man that ended up marrying Dimir. He would never be bored a day in his life, but he would never have a normal day in his life either.

"So...Mr. Mori called this morning." Chuuya turned to look as Dimir as she scooted herself off the bed. "He said that, while he hoped you enjoyed your little vacation..."

"Vacation?"

"He needs you to return." Dimir continued as if Chuuya hadn't interrupted her. "I think the Guild must be on the move, because my own boss called me in as well."

"You're probably right." Chuuya agreed.

Dimir got to her feet, turning to face him, a smile on her face. Clasping her hands behind her back, she approached him.

"Well, then I guess this is goodbye for a while." Dimir remarked.

She moved to walk past him when his eyes, once again, landed on the bandages wrapped around her injured arm. Reaching out, Chuuya grabbed her hand, pulling her to a stop. Dimir turned to look back at him, but his eyes were fixed on her arm. The longer he stared, the more intense his expression became until he tightened his grip on her hand.

"I **will** make this up to you." he told her.

"Oh, Chuuya..." Chuuya was taken by surprise when Dimir turned to fully face him, reached up to cup his face and turn it, and planted a sweet kiss upon his cheek. He felt his face burn as she gave him a smile. "There's nothing for you to make up to me for. Besides...I would think a mafioso wouldn't like being indebted to his enemy."

Dimir gave him another smile before she turned way, pulling her hand free of his grip. Chuuya watched her exit the room, too speechless to think of what to say. She had a point. They were suppose to be enemies, and yet...Chuuya couldn't bring himself to dislike Dimir in the least. She wasn't like her co-workers, who all annoyed him on some level. After all she had done to help him, putting herself in danger to stop him when he was hurting himself, taking care of him afterward...how was he suppose to hate her now?

The confused thoughts had an annoyed noise leaving Chuuya as he turned to gather his stuff. He could think about what to do about these complicated feelings after they had handled the Guild. He just needed to focus on one problem at a time. With that thought, he left Dimir's apartment, the girl sending him with a bento box of food.

He would deal with Dimir and the complicated feelings she made him feel later.

After all, it wasn't like things could get anymore complicated.

Right?

-0-0-0-0-

That day, when Dimir made it into the office, Dazai instantly hooked an arm through hers and demanded that she drive him to the hospital in order to visit someone currently admitted there. A nod from Fukuzawa, the man silently telling her to do it, Dimir agreed. They made a stop to pick up some flowers and a fruit basket before arriving at the hospital. Dimir, unsure of who it was they were going to see, followed a happily humming Dazai as he headed down the hall, stopping in front of door to throw it open.

"Hiya, Ango! You alright?" Dazai cheered, bursting through the door.

Dimir peeked around the door frame into the room, unsure if she should go inside. The lay currently laid up in the bed, covered nearly from head to toe in bandages, didn't look too happy to see Dazai.

"Come on in, Dimir!" Dazai called to her, making the man, Ango, fix his eyes on the girl peeking around the door frame.

"That really should be up to him, Osamu." Dimir remarked.

Touched that at least one of them had manners, Ango motioned for her to enter. Carrying the fruit basket into the room, she set it on a table, Dazai instantly jumping into the reason they were there.

"You look fetching like that. I've brought some good news today! The Detective Agency will take care of the injuries you got from the car crash perpetrated by the Guild! You will be good as new with a dose of Yosano-san's healing ability!" Dazai told Ango.

"And? In return for what?" Ango asked.

"In return? Whatever do you mean?! Aren't the Special Department and the Detective Agency always helping each other out?" Dazai replied, sugary sweet.

"I see..."So the Special Department should also help out in this war", yeah?" Ango asked, picking up his glasses to place them on his face.

"If you think so, then that must be it. Actually, a member of the Agency was captured by the Military Police. We want to rescue her, before the final showdown with the Guild." Dazai remarked,

Dimir knew he was speaking of Kyoka. She stood there quietly, her eyes shifting from Dazai to Ango as the two continued to talk like she wasn't in the room.

"Ah...the one who kill thirty-five people? From what I've heard, she's being held on board a UVA used for isolating dangerous ability users." Ango remarked.

Dimir gave Dazai's hand a smack when the man reached for the fruits basket, trying to snag a piece of fruit. She gave him a pointed look when he pouted at her. When Ango offered up the possible location of Kyoka, Dazai tuned back into the conversation.

"Oh. So I'd like to ask the Special Department to make a little arrangement. It can be done, right?" Dazai asked, rubbing his smacked hand.

"Indeed. It is possible for the Special Department to override the law and arrange for a pardon, given that the girl really is a member of the Detective Agency." Dimir shared a look with Dazai when Ango said this. "Murder is murder. While it's true that the Special Department and the Detective Agency share a collaborative relationship, my authority is not sufficient to grant amnesty to someone who, on top of not being a member of the Detective Agency, is a mass murderer to boot. We would, however, gladly offer other forms of assistance. For instance, providing support in your operations against the guild."

"Is that so? I'll come again." Dazai said, getting to his feet.

He turned to head to the door, gesturing for Dimir to follow, but Ango called out to him, calling him to a stop.

"Dazai-kun." Dazai came to a stop. "I won't go back on our "deal" of offering assistance in exchange for medical treatment, so please tell me one thing. Is there a particular reason why the airbags on my seat were the only ones that malfunctioned when the car came crashing into us out of nowhere?"

Dimir, when she saw the look that Dazai turned towards Ango, had to wonder, not for the first time since coming to the Agency, if Dazai had a functioning set or morals, or if he really would go to any lengths to get what he wanted. Either way, he didn't answer Ango, merely headed out of the room. Dimir gave Ango a bow before she followed after Dazai. She waited until they got back to her car before she spoke up.

"Osamu...did you really temper with that airbag?" Dimir asked.

Dazai glanced across the top of the car at Dimir, a grin curling his lips.

"Sometimes, it would be best if you didn't ask a lot of questions, Dimir." he told her.

Dimir could take that a solid yes to her question. By that point, she knew Dazai enough to know when he was avoiding a question in which the answer was perfectly obvious. Dimir found herself heaving a sigh when all he did was continue to smile at her like he didn't have a care in the world.

"I'm starting to wonder if Chuuya's right about you." Dimir remarked before slipping in behind her wheel.

Gaping at her response, Dazai ducked into the car, staring at her as she buckled her seat belt.

"You don't mean that!" he insisted.

"I wonder about that." was all Dimir said in reply.

Dazai watched her as Dimir took a minute to adjust her rear view mirror.

"How is Chuuya? Did he like staying at your apartment?"

Dazai watched as Dimir's face went red and her eyes snapped to his face. She hadn't been expecting him to ask her that, or to even know that she had simply just brought Chuuya to her apartment instead of trying to figure out where he lived. Then again, it was Dazai and it was difficult to hide something from him.

"Chuuya was fine, no thanks to you. Did you use to just leave him laying there when you two were partners?" Dimir asked, going back to adjusting her mirror.

"Yes."

Why did that not surprise her?

"Osamu," Dimir heaved a sigh. "At the rate you're going...you'll never find a woman to love you."

Dazai's jaw dropped, the man surprised that Dimir would be so blunt with him. She was, after all, learning from the best. Besides, if he didn't want her to turn the tables on him like that, then he shouldn't stick his nose into her business.

Besides...he brought it on himself.

Dimir dropped Dazai off at the Agency dorms and headed home for an early night. She would meet up with Dazai and a few others first thing in the morning to talk about what they would do next. Dimir, though, was a little sad to go home to an empty apartment. She had kind of liked having Chuuya around. It had been fun.

Dimir was debating take-out for dinner as she approached her apartment door, pulling her keys out of her pocket. It was as she reached her door, that she saw the covered basket sitting in front of her door, a note with her name on it, sitting on top. Curious, but also cautious, Dimir approached the basket, snatching the note from the top. She flipped it open finding only a short note written inside.

 _Thanks_

 _NC_

When Dimir pulled back the handkerchief covering the top, finding an expensive bottle of wine, chocolates, and a box containing a simply silver necklace with a lightning bolt charm made of yellow gemstones, she knew who it was from. Even before her phone rang. Dimir pulled the phone out of her pocket as she picked up the basket, answering the call.

"Hello?"

" _Did you get it?_ "

Dimir smiled to herself as she let herself into the apartment. No hello, no how are you, just directly to the point.

That was Chuuya, alright.

"Hello, Chuuya. Yes, I got the gift basket. Thank you, but you didn't have to do that." she told him.

" _I told you, I'm going to make it up to you._ "

"And I told you that you didn't have to. I was happy to help you, Chuuya. So, while sweet, do me a favor and don't send too many of these. You'll spoil me." Dimir told him, teasing him a little. She could hear Chuuya grumbling on the other end of the line. "Hey, how did you get my phone number, anyway?"

Silence greeted her question and Dimir had to press a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing outright. She was sure he had expended a little time and energy to get her phone number and just didn't want to admit it.

" _Just don't drink all of the wine at once!_ " came Chuuya's snappy reply.

Dimir couldn't hold back her laugh at that. Though he tried to act tough, and she was sure he could be, she knew that he had a soft side too. He was just too embarrassed to admit it.

"I promise I won't. Thank you, Chuuya. I love the necklace." Dimir told him, getting more grumbling from the other end of the line. "Good night, Chuuya."

"... _Yeah, night._ "

Dimir hung up then, looking down at the gift basket in her hands, her lips curling into a smile that she just couldn't stop. Whether or not he was a mafioso, regardless of all he had done in his life, Dimir couldn't see Chuuya as being a bad person. He had been almost nothing but sweet to her and she didn't care what Dazai had to say about it.

Dazai could keep his opinions to himself.

-0-0-0-0-

"A duo infiltration...?"

The morning found Atsushi standing before Dazai as the man laid out the strategy for their next course of action. Dazai stood before a board covered in information on the Guild and their flying fortress, the Moby Dick.

"Yes. According to the intel at hand, the Guild seems to be planning for an all-out attack on land. We will exploit this chance and seize control over the aerial fortress Moby Dick while its defense is weakened." Dazai explained.

"I along will be in charge of such an important mission?" Atsushi asked.

"No. Dimir will be with you." Dazai told him, gesturing to the girl perched on the end of the table, flipping through a file of information they had on the Guild. "Since it'll be a duo infiltration, it's more advantageous to deploy two combat-class ability users who can improvise if things go south. Well, to put it bluntly, it's because out of everyone at the Agency, you and Dimir can run away the fastest, Atsushi-kun." Dazai told Atsushi cheerfully.

"Did you just hear him, Dimir?!" Atsushi demanded, turning to look at the girl's back.

"Can't deny the truth, Atsushi. You and I, both, have already proven that we're the fastest among the Agency members." Dimir replied, flipping another page.

Atsushi frowned when he got no support from Dimir. It didn't matter that it was true, they were basically being sent on this mission just because they happened to be the fastest runners.

"Besides," Dazai said, drawing Atsushi's attention back to him. "You've been taken aboard Moby Dick before, so you know the terrain, and Dimir is best suited for infiltration work. Not to mention, even in the worst case scenario, you fail, it's highly possible that you two will only end up getting captured, and not killed. There are no better candidates than you two. Are you up for it?"

"You already have my consent." Dimir remarked, finally sitting down the file in her hands.

Atsushi hesitated for a moment, as that voice in the back of his head told him to refuse, that Dazai was giving him too much credit and he would just fail. Atsushi perked up, snapping out of his thoughts when a hand came to rest on his shoulder. Looking up, his eyes met the gold-speckled blue ones of Dimir as she smile down at him.

"I'll be with you the whole way, Atsushi. We **can** do this." she told him.

Atsushi clenched his fists, knowing that she was right. He wouldn't be alone. He would have her to watch his back. He didn't have to listen to that voice in his head.

"Dazai-san...I'll do it." Atsushi agreed.

He just hoped that Dimir and Dazai were right and they could do this.

-0-0-0-0-

"Kyoka-chan isn't a member of the Agency?!"

Dimir had to lean away from Atsushi, her fingers plugged tightly in her ears. She really wished that he would give a little warning before he yelled like that, but Atsushi didn't noticed that he had hurt Dimir's ears, his attention was fixed on Junichirou.

"'Not yet a member' to be precise." Junichirou told him as Dimir unplugged her ears. "All investigators of the Agency have to undergo the "Admission Test". One must pass the test to be officially acknowledged as a member. You, and Dimir, have gone through that as well, haven't you? The Admission Test is for the examiner to judge whether a new recruit is suited for the Detective Agency through observing their actions. In other words, it's a "secret assessment"."

"Have you also gone through the test, Tanizaki-san?" Atsushi asked.

The look that came over Junichirou's face had Dimir wondering just what his examiner had put him through.

"Uhh...it has disappeared from my memory." Junichirou told them.

Dimir gave his shoulder a pat while Atsushi fell deep into thought, thinking about whether or not Kyoka actually belonged with the Agency. He knew that she was well trained to the point that if someone got in her way of escaping, she didn't hesitate before moving to eliminate them. He didn't get long to dwell on it as the three of them arrived at their location.

As they walked into the library, they were met by a member of the Special Department, a man in a dark suit.

"We have be awaiting your arrival, members from the Detective Agency." he told them before leading them to the back of the store.

There, he pushed a hidden button, a bookshelf moving out of the way to reveal a hallway. Dimir and Atsushi followed along behind Junichirou, Atsushi looking around nervously, as Junichirou headed off down the hall.

""This library is one of the secret bases kept by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I get nervous every time I come here." Junichirou told them, stopping in front of a door. Pulling the door opened, he revealed a helicopter and landing pad. "This is the Night Crow, the special light attack helicopter. I'll be flying you two onto Moby Dick with it."

"You can fly a helicopter? That's a little surprising." Dimir remarked.

Junichirou's only response was a nervous laugh. Dimir, as the smallest, ended up squeezed between a nervous Atsushi, and an equally nervous Junichirou. Dimir felt so bad for the two. While Atsushi was freaking out about the fact that he had agreed to this mission, Junichirou was freaking out in equal amounts about the fact that he was piloting a helicopter. It seemed that the only calm one of the bunch was Dimir herself.

Junichirou only calmed down, focusing completely on the task at hand, when they came close to entering the field of vision for the Moby Dick. Then he calmed himself, concentrating intensely, as he activated his ability, hiding them. Once that was done, Atsushi lowered a ladder, climbing down it, Dimir following right behind him, so that the two were dangling from the ladder.

Dimir was glad she had decided to wear pants and boots for this mission.

" _Moby Dick cuts off it's aerial sensor only during the one hundred and thirty seconds when it receives the helicopter transporting regular supplies. Take the opportunity to approach in stealth...and jump on board!_ " came Dazai's voice through an earpiece in Atsushi's and Dimir's ears.

Junichirou drew the helicopter as close to Moby Dick as he could. Atsushi easily jumped from the ladder to the ship, securing his foothold before turning to Dimir. The girl waited for the ladder to sway back towards the ship before she, too, jumped. Atsushi caught her wrist, helping her to find her foothold. With a thumbs-up from Junichirou, the helicopter vanished from view, leaving the two to find their way into the ship.

Once they were in, Dimir summoned her Ten Dark Women, Gure appearing on her shoulder while Orenji appeared at her side. Dimir gave Orenji the order to sneak ahead and check their path, the figure vanishing from sight.

"We're in." Atsushi told Dazai through their communications devise.

" _How is it in there?_ " Dazai asked.

"Orenji isn't picking up anyone ahead. It's quiet. Too quiet." Dimir replied, sneaking around the corner, Atsushi right behind her. "Nobody's here."

Orenji appeared ahead of them then, at a door up ahead. Dimir glanced at Atsushi before sneaking up to the door and opening it. Inside, they found Moby Dick's user.

"Practically everyone has fled." he informed Dimir and Atsushi. "Whoever's left will also be taking the next freighter off Moby Dick. You know why, kiddos? Because this war is coming to an end. The next blow will reduce all the Guild's enemies to ashes, along with Moby Dick."

That was all it took for Dimir to connect two and two.

They were going to crash Moby Dick into Yokohama.

"You're going to crash the Moby Dick." Dimir gasped.

"You must've planned to sneak in while it's not as heavily manned. However, the main forces of the Guild are operating off board right now. Furthermore, the area of impact encompasses the Detective Agency's and mafia's bases. The decent has already started. Impact in less than an hour." the old man told them.

"But if Moby Dick is your ability, you should be able to stop it from crashing!" Atsushi insisted.

"Moby Dick is indeed my ability, however, with over seventy percent of its structure weaponized, I no longer have any control over it." was the simple reply given to them.

"You heard that Dazai-san! We must abort the operation and start evacuating-"

" _Listen, Atsushi-kun. No change of plans._ " came Dazai's voice, cutting off Atsushi. " _Seize control over Moby Dick with your own hands and stop it's descent. The only one who can do that, is you, who are currently on board. Dimir...I have a change of plans for you._ "

"For me?" Dimir asked, exchanging a look with Atsushi.

"Dazai-san...you've predicted this situation, haven't you?" Atsushi asked.

" _I did consider it a possibility. It was another reason why I sent Dimir with you, but even taking it into account, I still believe you're the best choice. Can you do it?_ " Dazai asked.

Atsushi glanced over at Dimir, who returned his look with a firm and determined one. She didn't know, yet, what Dazai had planned for her, but that was all fine. She would go with the flow and do what she had to protect the home she had found. If she could feel that way, if she could continue on so determined and ready, than couldn't he do so, too?

Resolve steadied, Atsushi heaved a sigh and turned to Moby Dick's user as Dimir dashed from the room, ready to make a jump from Moby Dick and continue on with whatever mission Dazai gave her.

"How can I stop its fall?"

END

Kyandi: Sorry if Chuuya seems a little out of character for you guys.

Dimir: She just sees him as being kind of like that with his feelings.

Kyandi: Yeah...I don't see Chuuya as being very forward with his feelings.

Dimir: But that's what makes him so cute!

Kyandi: Yeah, I don't think he would appreciate being called cute. He is a grown man, after all. Even if-

Dimir: Don't say it! You know how he is about his height.

Kyandi: Right. Well, I have other work I got to get to, so everyone, please review and enjoy.

Dimir: We'll return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


End file.
